Most people with coronavirus recover within about a week of symptoms appearing and do not require medical care.
But some people need hospital treatment – like the Prime Minister.
Boris Johnson, 55, has been discharged from St Thomas’ Hospital in London after undergoing intensive care.
He was receiving oxygen but did not need a ventilator to support his breathing.
Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said male gender is “a very clear risk factor”. But why?
Some people are at higher risk for complications.
This includes people over the age of 70, whether or not they have a medical condition, and people of any age with underlying health conditions such as heart disease.
There are more than 1.5 million people in the UK who are most at risk of needing hospital treatment if they contract coronavirus.
This includes people with cancer who have received chemotherapy and are being asked to stay home at all times to protect themselves from the virus.
The coronavirus also seems to disproportionately affect men in their 50s and 60s to some extent, although they are not singled out as a high-risk group. But it’s not that clear. Correlation is not necessarily causation.
Scientists are unsure.
Data from UK intensive care units show that the average critically ill patient is 60 years old. Most are men, and many have other health conditions that could put them at increased risk, such as heart problems and obesity.
Of the 647 coronavirus-related deaths recorded by the Office for National Statistics in England and Wales up to the week ending March 27, 44 were between the ages of 45 and 65 – about 7% of the total.
Mortality rates increase with age in both men and women, but men tend to outpace women as they age.
Data from China, where the pandemic began, also suggests that men are at higher risk than women, although experts warn there could be factors other than gender, such as: B. Smoking habits, which could explain the connection.
Prof Ian Hall, Professor of Molecular Medicine, University of Nottingham, said: “I am not convinced that this fully explains the increased risk of serious illness in men, so it seems possible that another as yet unidentified factor is at play plays.”
Men are more likely than women to have heart disease, diabetes and chronic lung disease.
Some have suggested that genes and sex hormones may also be involved.
Prof Philip Goulder, an expert in immunology at the University of Oxford, said: “There is growing recognition that there are significant differences in the immune system between men and women and that these have important implications for the outcome of a wide range of infectious diseases.
“The lifelong immune response to vaccines and infections is typically more aggressive and effective in women than in men.”
This could be because females carry two copies of the X chromosome compared to the single X and a Y that males have.
A number of critical immune genes are located on the X chromosome, he says.
About 600,000 people die in Britain every year. People with pre-existing conditions and the elderly are most at risk, just as they are if they have the coronavirus.
The Office for National Statistics has assessed how many of the deaths linked to the coronavirus could be a direct result of the virus.
This analysis suggests that most (86% or 3,372) of the 4,000 coronavirus-related deaths in March were likely caused by the virus, although about nine in 10 of those who died had pre-existing medical conditions.
The coronavirus death rate was twice as high in men as in women – 97.5 deaths per 100,000 population versus 46.5 deaths per 100,000.
Stay as fit and healthy as possible by exercising and eating a balanced diet.
If you smoke, now is a good time to stop.
Men are more likely than women to have:
- smoke and smoke more cigarettes a day and smoke your own hand-rolled tobacco
- eat too much salt
- Eat too much red and processed meat
- Eat too few fruits and too few vegetables
- drink alcohol and drink in dangerous quantities
The coronavirus spreads when an infected person coughs or sneezes into the air, small droplets packed with the virus. These can be inhaled or cause infection if you touch a surface they landed on and then your eyes, nose or mouth.
It is therefore important to cough and sneeze into tissues, not to touch your face with unwashed hands and to avoid close contact with infected people.
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If you have a new, persistent cough or fever, you should stay home and self-isolate for at least seven days.
If you or someone you live with develops symptoms, the entire household must be isolated for 14 days to monitor for signs of the disease.
The main reason people need hospital treatment is breathing difficulties.
In the UK, the NHS 111 website will walk you through the process.
If you are so out of breath that you cannot speak more than a few words, you will be asked to call 999 as this is a medical emergency.
- When do people with coronavirus go to the hospital?
If you become so ill that you’ve stopped all your usual daily activities, the site recommends speaking to a nurse by dialing NHS 111.
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