How to ensure you’re immune to the infection.

Two years after the COVID-19 pandemic, there are still a lot of questions about the virus.

However, something has already been demonstrated scientifically. For example, there are recognized conditions in which the risk of COVID problems increases.

Sleep disorder

According to research published in the JAMA Network Open last month, poor sleep quality such as apnea raise the risk of severe COVID-19 by 31%, including hospitalization and even mortality.

Experts say that sleep apnea can cause inflammation and other damage because it reduces the amount of oxygen in the lungs (a condition known as hypoxia).

Overweight

From the first days of the pandemic, doctors noticed that Obesity has been identified as a major risk factor for severe COVID and death since the beginning of the pandemic.

According to a recent study: COVID appears to affect adipose tissue fat cells as well as specific immune cells.

This can result in an over-immune reaction (also known as a cytokine storm, which occurs when the immune system reacts to infection too aggressively and inexplicably), which destroys organs and can be fatal.

The higher the weight, the more likely this issue may occur.

Diabetes

According to US epidemiologists, any virus, including the coronavirus, is more likely to cause serious symptoms and problems in people with diabetes. They noted that the risk of serious diseases is lower if diabetes is well controlled.

Metabolic syndrome

Metabolic syndrome raises the likelihood of significant respiratory issues, according to a new study involving more than 29,000 adults hospitalized with COVID.

High blood pressure, increased abdominal fat, high blood sugar, and high cholesterol are all symptoms of metabolic syndrome.

It’s classified as a chronic inflammatory disease that’s linked to an elevated risk of heart disease and stroke. The researchers discovered that each additional disease in the patient raised the likelihood of severe COVID or death.

Vaccines 

According to the Arizona Department of Health, state residents who were not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 were roughly four times more likely to have a positive result and 15 times more likely to die than vaccinated patients.

To avoid serious complications from COVID-19, vaccination is the safest and most efficient method.

These findings are consistent with national figures reported by the CDC, which found that unvaccinated people were 5.8 times more likely to acquire COVID and 14 times more likely to die than fully vaccinated people.

Image Credit: Getty

You were reading: Five surprising factors that influence COVID-19 severity