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Review
. 2020 May;68(5):926-929.
doi: 10.1111/jgs.16472. Epub 2020 Apr 20.

COVID-19 and Older Adults: What We Know

Zainab Shahid  1   2 , Ricci Kalayanamitra  3   4 , Brendan McClafferty  1 , Douglas Kepko  1 , Devyani Ramgobin  5 , Ravi Patel  6 , Chander Shekher Aggarwal  7 , Ramarao Vunnam  6 , Nitasa Sahu  6 , Dhirisha Bhatt  6 , Kirk Jones  8 , Reshma Golamari  6 , Rohit Jain  6
Affiliations
Review

COVID-19 and Older Adults: What We Know

Zainab Shahid et al. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2020 May.

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a novel virus that causes COVID-19 infection, has recently emerged and caused a deadly pandemic. Studies have shown that this virus causes worse outcomes and a higher mortality rate in older adults and those with comorbidities such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and chronic kidney disease (CKD). A significant percentage of older American adults have these diseases, putting them at a higher risk of infection. Additionally, many adults with hypertension, diabetes, and CKD are placed on angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers. Studies have shown that these medications upregulate the ACE-2 receptor, the very receptor that the SARS-CoV-2 virus uses to enter host cells. Although it has been hypothesized that this may cause a further increased risk of infection, more studies on the role of these medications in COVID-19 infections are necessary. In this review, we discuss the transmission, symptomatology, and mortality of COVID-19 as they relate to older adults, and possible treatments that are currently under investigation. J Am Geriatr Soc 68:926-929, 2020.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; coronavirus; mortality; older adults.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared no conflicts of interest for this article.

Comment in

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