If you’ve ever had pneumonia, you’re more at risk of severe COVID

Many of us get sick with some kind of illness every year, whether it’s a cold, sinus infection, or the flu. While most of these illnesses are manageable and easy to forget to recover, you may want to review your medical history in the midst of the COVID pandemic as this can be a predictor of how your body will handle the virus. . A new Harvard study has found that having a previous case of a particularly common illness could put you at an increased risk of dying from COVID. Read on to find out if you are at risk and to learn more about severe cases of coronavirus, if you have, you are twice as likely to develop severe COVID.

Harvard researchers recently discovered that a previous case of pneumonia can be a strong indicator that you will have a more serious, even fatal, case if you are infected with COVID. In their new study, published in the journal NPJ digital medicine on February 4, they extracted data from the medical records of nearly 17,000 patients with COVID. Their research showed that after age, pneumonia was the second greatest risk factor for death from COVID. Of those who died from COVID, nearly 49% had a history of pneumonia.

“A history of pneumonia, which is rarely asked in typical epidemiological studies, was one of the most important risk factors for predicting COVID-19 mortality,” the researchers said in their study. And for more ways to lower your risk, find out why these 3 vitamins could save you from severe COVID, study finds.

Pneumonia is a very common disease in the United States According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 1.3 million Americans were diagnosed with pneumonia in 2017. The agency says that while most people with pneumonia in the country are adults, this lung infection can affect people of all ages. And for more coronavirus concerns, know that Dr Fauci just released this frightening new warning about COVID.

According to Health, many people don’t even realize they’ve had a case of pneumonia – especially if they’ve had a mild case. Zachary Strasser, MD, one of the study’s authors and Harvard Massachusetts General postdoctoral fellow, told Bloomberg News that it’s even common for cases of chronic pneumonia to go undiagnosed.

According to the American Lung Association, this may be because “pneumonia can be difficult to diagnose because the symptoms are very variable and are often very similar to those seen in a cold or the flu.” Symptoms of pneumonia include cough, fever, shortness of breath, chest pain, loss of appetite, fatigue, nausea, and confusion. And for more information on COVID, sign up for our daily newsletter.

The CDC has created a list of medical conditions that put you at increased risk of serious illness or death from COVID, but pneumonia is not one of them. However, as the Harvard researchers note, a previous case of pneumonia could actually be an indicator of an underlying condition that is included in the list of risk factors.

In fact, the CDC says you’re more likely to get pneumonia if you smoke or have any underlying medical conditions like diabetes or heart disease. And smoking, diabetes, and heart disease are all listed by the CDC as conditions that put you at increased risk for serious COVID. And to learn more about this agency, find out why the CDC is warning against using these 6 face masks.