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Volume 17
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10.3390/ijerph17165974
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Article

The Age-Related Risk of Severe Outcomes Due to COVID-19 Infection: A Rapid Review, Meta-Analysis, and Meta-Regression

by
Karla Romero Starke
1,*,
Gabriela Petereit-Haack
2,
Melanie Schubert
1,
Daniel Kämpf
1,
Alexandra Schliebner
1,
Janice Hegewald
1 and
Andreas Seidler
1
1
Institute and Policlinic of Occupational and Social Medicine (IPAS), Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany
2
Division of Occupational Health, Department of Occupational Safety and Environment, Regional Government of South Hesse, 65197 Wiesbaden, Germany
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(16), 5974; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17165974
Submission received: 24 June 2020 / Revised: 21 July 2020 / Accepted: 12 August 2020 / Published: 17 August 2020
(This article belongs to the Section Toxicology and Public Health)
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Abstract

Increased age appears to be a strong risk factor for COVID-19 severe outcomes. However, studies do not sufficiently consider the age-dependency of other important factors influencing the course of disease. The aim of this review was to quantify the isolated effect of age on severe COVID-19 outcomes. We searched Pubmed to find relevant studies published in 2020. Two independent reviewers evaluated them using predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. We extracted the results and assessed seven domains of bias for each study. After adjusting for important age-related risk factors, the isolated effect of age was estimated using meta-regression. Twelve studies met our inclusion criteria: four studies for COVID-19 disease severity, seven for mortality, and one for admission to ICU. The crude effect of age (5.2% and 13.4% higher risk of disease severity and death per age year, respectively) substantially decreased when adjusting for important age-dependent risk factors (diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart disease/cerebrovascular disease, compromised immunity, previous respiratory disease, renal disease). Adjusting for all six comorbidities indicates a 2.7% risk increase for disease severity (two studies), and no additional risk of death per year of age (five studies). The indication of a rather weak influence of age on COVID-19 disease severity after adjustment for important age-dependent risk factors should be taken in consideration when implementing age-related preventative measures (e.g., age-dependent work restrictions).
Keywords: COVID-19; age; disease severity; mortality COVID-19; age; disease severity; mortality

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MDPI and ACS Style

Romero Starke, K.; Petereit-Haack, G.; Schubert, M.; Kämpf, D.; Schliebner, A.; Hegewald, J.; Seidler, A. The Age-Related Risk of Severe Outcomes Due to COVID-19 Infection: A Rapid Review, Meta-Analysis, and Meta-Regression. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 5974. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17165974

AMA Style

Romero Starke K, Petereit-Haack G, Schubert M, Kämpf D, Schliebner A, Hegewald J, Seidler A. The Age-Related Risk of Severe Outcomes Due to COVID-19 Infection: A Rapid Review, Meta-Analysis, and Meta-Regression. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020; 17(16):5974. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17165974

Chicago/Turabian Style

Romero Starke, Karla, Gabriela Petereit-Haack, Melanie Schubert, Daniel Kämpf, Alexandra Schliebner, Janice Hegewald, and Andreas Seidler. 2020. "The Age-Related Risk of Severe Outcomes Due to COVID-19 Infection: A Rapid Review, Meta-Analysis, and Meta-Regression" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17, no. 16: 5974. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17165974

APA Style

Romero Starke, K., Petereit-Haack, G., Schubert, M., Kämpf, D., Schliebner, A., Hegewald, J., & Seidler, A. (2020). The Age-Related Risk of Severe Outcomes Due to COVID-19 Infection: A Rapid Review, Meta-Analysis, and Meta-Regression. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(16), 5974. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17165974

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