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Malnutrition Elevates COVID-induced Death Risk

by Saisruthi Sankaranarayanan on Jul 23 2021 4:46 PM

Malnutrition Elevates COVID-induced Death Risk
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.

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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The findings of the research are published in the journal Scientific Reports.



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