About 40% Americans have an underlying medical condition that could put them at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19, says a federal study published Thursday.
Obesity was the most prevalent condition nationwide, affecting nearly 31% of U.S. adults surveyed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Diabetes was the second most prevalent at 11% followed by chronic obstructive, pulmonary disease at 6.9%, heart disease at 6.8% and chronic kidney disease at 3%.
When comparing thousands of counties in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, the median prevalence for conditions was 47.2%. The highest prevalence of health conditions was concentrated in counties in the Southeast and Appalachia.
The report included 437,500 people surveyed in 2018. It studied conditions with the strongest evidence of ties to higher risk for serious COVID-19 illness.
Although it was estimated that the number of people with underlying health conditions would be higher in metropolitan areas, overall prevalence was actually higher in rural areas. Numbers ranged from 39.4% in large central metro counties to 48.8% in more rural counties.
“Areas with comparatively lower prevalences but large populations, such as metropolitan areas, might still have large numbers of persons with underlying medical conditions at increased risk for severe COVID-19 illness,” the report’s authors say. “Conversely, areas with smaller populations but a comparatively higher prevalence of persons with underlying medical conditions might also have substantial need for additional resources to treat severe COVID-19 illness. Health care in rural counties is often under resourced, and rural communities might have limited access to adequate care, which could further increase risk for poor COVID-19–associated outcomes.”
Among patients with existing health conditions, hospitalizations were six times higher, ICU admissions were five times higher and deaths 12 times higher compared to patients without comorbidities, an analysis of U.S. COVID-19 patient surveillance data found.
Counties with the highest prevalence of any condition were found in Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, West Virginia, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and northern Michigan.
