Most NYC Virus Patients Had Underlying Health Issues, Study Shows

A person is transported into the emergency room of the Elmhurst Hospital in Queens, New York City, on April 22, 2020. Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images

Most patients in New York City hospitalized with the CCP virus suffered from one or more underlying health issues, such as obesity or kidney disease, according to a new study.

Researchers analyzed records from 5,700 patients and found more than 56 percent suffered from hypertension. Another 41 percent had obesity, while nearly 34 percent suffered from diabetes.

Ninety-four percent of the patients had one disease while 88 percent had more than one, according to the study, which was published in the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA).

Patients with diabetes were more likely to require breathing assistance from ventilators, treatment in intensive care units, or develop acute kidney disease.

Of the 2,634 patients for whom outcomes were known, 14 percent were treated in ICUs, 12 percent received invasive mechanical ventilation, and 3 percent needed kidney replacement therapy. Twenty-one percent died, including about a quarter of those on ventilators and most patients 80 or older.

The patients were hospitalized at hospitals run by Northwell Health, the largest academic health system in New York. They were admitted between March 1 and April 4.

About six out of 10 patients were male and the median age was 63.

Dr. Karina Davidson, one of the doctors who conducted the study, said in an emailed statement that the research “revealed some surprising results.”

“For example, just one-third of the patients triaged had signs of fever. Of those discharged or died, 16 percent were younger than 50,” said Davidson, professor and senior vice president at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research.

“We hope to explore further in our research, including going beyond the data collected from electronic health records to better understand the virus’s effects,” she added.

New York state has the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the nation, as well as the most deaths and hospitalizations. COVID-19 is caused by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus, also known as the novel coronavirus, which originated in China in 2019.

Dr. Anthony Leno, director of Emergency Medicine at St. Joseph's Hospital (L), and Dr. James Neuendorf, director of Medicine (R), look into an exam room where a patient with COVID-19 who went into cardiac arrest was revived, in Yonkers just outside New York City on April 20, 2020. John Minchillo/AP Photo

State, City Data

New York state’s Department of Health doesn’t release detailed data concerning hospitalizations, such as comorbidities.

Underlying health issues are included in fatality data. The department stated that 14,018 patients of the 15,740 who died with COVID-19 had at least one comorbidity as of April 22.

The most common underlying health issue was hypertension, followed by diabetes and hyperlipidemia, or abnormally high concentrations of fats or lipids in blood.

New York City’s Department of Health doesn’t release details concerning underlying health conditions of those hospitalized with COVID-19 or people who died from the disease.

The department states in a fact sheet that people most at risk of getting severe cases of COVID-19 are people 50 years of age or older and people who have other health conditions.

The other conditions include lung disease, heart disease, obesity, liver disease, and cancer.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that currently available information indicates older adults and people of any age who have serious underlying medical conditions might be at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19.

Recommendations for people in those groups include continuing their medications, obtaining a supply of at least two weeks of medications, keeping vaccinations up to date, and not delaying getting emergency care for their underlying condition or conditions.