Brits with severe asthma and diabetes ‘at highest risk of dying from coronavirus’ – with men and over 60s

BRITS suffering severe asthma and uncontrolled diabetes are among those at “highest risk of dying from the coronavirus”, a major new study has warned.

The findings also show men over 60, people from ethnic minorities and poor backgrounds, are more susceptible to Covid-19 – which has killed more than 30,000 people in the UK.

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Scientists at Oxford University and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) looked at NHS England data from more than 17 million people.

It comes as Asthma UK announced that a “pandemic of silence” could be killing asthma patients, who are unable to get the treatment and care they need. 

And the Office for National Statistics today revealed black Brits are four times more likely to die from coronavirus than white people.

Meanwhile, Bangladeshi and Pakistani people are more than 50 per cent more likely to die from the virus as white people – with those of Indian and mixed heritage also at greater risk.

The team at Oxford and LSHTM reviewed the medical records of 17.4 million adults in the UK – from February 1 to April 25 – in what they claim is the “largest study of Covid-19 carried out in any country to date”.

They said it provides the “strongest evidence to date” on risk factors associated to death from coronavirus.

Professor Liam Smeeth, from LSHTM and an NHS doctor, said “highly accurate data” on those people at greatest risk is essential in order to manage the pandemic and improve patient care.

He said: “The answers provided by this OpenSAFELY analysis are of crucial importance to countries around the world.

“For example, it is very concerning to see the higher risks faced by people from BAME backgrounds are not attributable to identifiable underlying health conditions.”

Key findings

People from a deprived background were found to be at greater risk of death – even after other factors like underlying health conditions had been taken into account.

And Brits from Asian and Black ethnic origin are more likely to die – compared to white people.

Scientists have suggested this could be down to a higher rate of conditions like diabetes and heart disease among BAME populations, or higher rates of deprivation.

But the new findings suggest those theories only go some way to explaining the raised risk.

The scientists said more research is needed to look at why people from BAME populations are more susceptible to Covid-19.

Men, as well as those over the age of 60 were found to be at a higher risk of contracting and losing their live to coronavirus.

Meanwhile, Prof Smeeth’s team warned people with uncontrolled diabetes – where a patient’s blood sugar levels are high despite them trying to manage them, are at greater risk of death – along with those with severe asthma.

Among those adults included in the sample, there were 5,707 deaths in hospital that had been attributed to coronavirus. 

The study linked patient’s hospital data with data held in primary care records.

Co-author of the study, Dr Ben Goldacre, from the University of Oxford, and also an NHS doctor said it was paramount those working on the virus were able to receive answers quickly and accurately.

“That means we need very large, very current datasets, he said. “The UK has phenomenal coverage and quality of data.

“We owe it to patients to keep their data secure; and we owe it to the global community to make good use of this data.

“That’s why we have developed a new highly secure model, taking the analytics to where the data already resides.”

In order to put the data together the researchers used OpenSafely which is a new secure platform that allows the GP records to be linked where they are stored for individual care.  

This is in place to minimise security risks that often come up when transferring patient data.

The platform can also be used to evaluate the COVID-19 spread.

This in turn could help track the national impact of interventions as well as help with a strategy for exiting the lockdown.