Malnutrition can increase the likelihood of death from COVID-19, found a new study. The research also found an increase in the need for mechanical ventilation among people with a history of malnourishment. "Malnutrition hampers the proper functioning of the immune system and is known to increase the risk of severe infections for other viruses, but the potential long-term effects of malnutrition on Covid-19 outcomes are less clear," said Louis Ehwerhemuepha from Children's Hospital of Orange County in California.
‘Malnutrition can increase the likelihood of death from COVID-19. Malnourished adults in the age group 18-78 had higher chances of developing severe COVID-19.’
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To derive the link between malnutrition diagnoses and subsequent Covid-19 severity, researchers used medical records for 8,604 children and 94,495 adults who were hospitalized with Covid-19 in the US between March and June 2020. The clinical outcomes of COVID-19 among people with a previous malnutrition history were compared with people who didn't have it. The findings revealed that
• Around 520 children in the study group got severe COVID-19. Of these children, 7.5% had a previous diagnosis of malnutrition
• Likewise, 11% of the 423 adults with malnutrition had a severe form of infection
• Children who were older than five and adults in the age group 18-78 with a previous history of malnutrition had higher chances of developing severe COVID-19
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