Albin John BA, Freedom Ha BS, Mimi Zumwalt MD
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a great toll on many families. From its rapid spread to debilitating outcomes, the virus has wreaked havoc on healthcare systems around the world. As researchers study this novel virus, the public continues to seek more information on who is the most susceptible and which population will be affected by the more severe manifestations of the disease. As a result, scientists have started analyzing the variable effects of COVID-19 infection in different age groups. While the information is still nascent, these studies demonstrate that no one is immune, that all are susceptible to infection by this virus, and that certain demographics of the general population have more severe disease than others. This literature review examines how COVID-19 has affected different age groups, from neonates to older adults, by exploring statistics, mechanisms, and possible risk factors. This article will also investigate the role of comorbidities in increasing the severity of this viral infection.
Keywords: COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, coronavirus, age, neonates, pregnancy, older adults, mechanism, comorbidities, angiotensin converting enzyme 2
Article citation: John A, Ha F, Zumwalt M. Susceptibility/manifestations of different age groups with various comorbidities to COVID-19 infection. Southwest Respiratory and Critical Care Chronicles 2020;8(35):7–16
From: Department of Orthopedics Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas
Submitted: 5/14/2020
Accepted: 7/5/2020
Reviewer: Kenneth Nugent MD
Conflicts of interest: none
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.