Association of gender, age, and comorbidities with COVID-19 infection in India

Abstract

Due to a lack of data on various parameters with COVID-19 in the Indian population, this study was carried out to understand the relation among gender, age and comorbidities in Indian population. The data was collected using a questionnaire-based survey form that included questions on demographic characteristics, infection and any pre-underlying conditions (n=1146). The data showed that the male patients had suffered more from COVID-19 (58.6%). Also, the patients suffering from comorbidity are more likely to suffer from a severe form of COVID-19 and obesity/overweight was identified as the most prevalent (n=69) comorbid condition, followed by diabetes (n=35), thyroid (n=19) and hypertension (n=11). In severe COVID-19 cases, 85% of patients had a comorbid condition. In another study of COVID-19 hospitalized-cases, about 97% of patients were found to have an underlying medical condition. Among these, diabetes (55.9%) was identified as the most prevalent comorbidity. Males and older people are at a higher risk of developing COVID-19 infection in Indian population. The comorbid conditions also predisposed individuals to COVID-19 and aggravated the infection.