People With Dementia Three Times More Likely to Get Severe Coronavirus, Study Finds

A study found that persons with dementia are three times as likely to develop severe coronavirus, reports the London Telegraph . Experts argue that this should prompt the addition of dementia sufferers to the shielded list. Whereas the overall rate for U.K. retirees developing severe coronavirus who required hospital treatment was one in 200, that of people with dementia was nearly seven in 200. This may be a partial explanation of why coronavirus is so rampant in U.K. care communities, where 80 percent of residents have some form of dementia. "These initial results suggest that some risky pre-existing diseases in older people may have been overlooked," said Professor David Melzer at the University of Exeter. "Our results suggest that shielding should be considered, as many people with dementia will have both the increased risks due to advancing age, plus the specific additional risk we have shown from having dementia as well."