We often hear that “the disease mainly affects the elderly and people with pre-existing conditions.” But what do pre-existing conditions mean? And why are they so dangerous in the case of coronavirus?
Our immune system is a true miracle: it does an excellent job every day, being responsible for protecting the body against dangerous intruders, such as viruses.
This can be difficult for people with a weak immune system. If there is a pre-existing condition, these patients should be especially careful not to contract an infectious disease.
Chronic lung disease
The lungs of people with asthma are already damaged. In case of convulsions, the bronchial mucosa is swollen and the airways narrow, mainly affecting expiration. For this activity, the affected people make a considerably higher effort than the healthy ones.
Asthmatics are less able to exhale air from the lungs. Acute respiratory failure can set in, and those affected are afraid of suffocation. The body is concerned to counteract this as much as possible and is therefore weakened.
There are about 8 million asthmatics in Germany alone. Most of them suffer from one of two types of asthma: allergic and non-allergic. An asthma attack can be caused by allergens or respiratory infections, such as a viral illness. The body must not only fight against asthma, but also against other diseases. The body is very demanding, sometimes too much, and the system no longer works, in the worst case the consequences being fatal.
COPD, a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is also one of the respiratory diseases. According to researchers, smoking is an important trigger for this condition. Patients with such a diagnosis are affected twice when the body and their immune system are forced to fight another disease.
People who are weak from a pre-existing condition have more problems managing an infection than healthy people. The lungs are damaged and the viruses are easier to attack.
Diabetes
People with diabetes have a weaker immune system than healthy ones. This applies to both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease. Antibodies kill insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. Thus, the body does not produce enough insulin and hyperglycemia occurs. These elevated blood sugar levels weaken the immune system.
If there is an infectious disease, in the worst case with fever, the general condition of diabetics can deteriorate. This applies even to patients whose diabetes is well controlled with medication.
It’s not just about disrupting sugar metabolism. Diabetes can change blood vessels and attack organs, which can unbalance the body, which can hardly cope with a virus.
Cardiovascular diseases
This category includes coronary or ischemic diseases. Ischemia, experts explain, means reduced blood flow to the tissue or a complete loss of blood flow. A narrowed area in one of the coronary arteries leads to a lack of oxygen. Responsible for this is arteriosclerosis, more clearly vascular calcification. An infection can have fatal consequences.
Even those with heart valve defects need to be more careful than healthy people. For those suffering from cardiovascular disease, a viral infection can destabilize the whole body. But a functional metabolism is indispensable. Otherwise, the body becomes more vulnerable, body functions are restricted and the whole body is overwhelmed.
Hypertension
About 20-30 million people in Germany are affected by high blood pressure. This disease also poses an increased risk of infection. High blood pressure damages blood vessels in the long run.
If the blood pressure is permanently too high, the heart is permanently overworked. This can lead to serious cardiovascular disease and then, as a pre-existing condition, the body is less able to cope with an infection.
Patients often recognize the silent danger too late, sometimes only after a stroke or heart attack. The weakened system is then an easy victim for viruses.
Cancer
Cancer patients also have a high risk of infection. Various therapies weaken their immune system. In Germany, about 1,400 people are diagnosed with cancer every day. Hundreds of thousands are in treatment or undergoing therapy. This includes chemotherapy. Doctors use cytostatics. It is thought that this could counteract the growth of cancer cells.
But therapy does not only attack cancer cells. Healthy tissue also suffers from these drugs.
In turn, this has a major impact on the immune system. The body is more vulnerable to pathogens. The extent to which the body is affected depends on various factors, such as the type of cancer and the general condition of the patient.
In any case, people undergoing chemotherapy or radiation must be very careful to avoid any infections and diseases. They need to stay away from people who have a cold, for example.
Pathogens are transmitted mainly by droplet infection. When a sick person coughs or sneezes, the pathogens spread over a wide area, which can be extremely dangerous for cancer patients.
immunosuppressive
Another dangerous pre-existing condition is autoimmune diseases. In such cases, doctors often prescribe immunosuppressive drugs to their patients. They suppress the immune system against the body it should defend. Medications weaken the immune system or even deactivate it.
This makes the body more vulnerable to pathogens such as influenza and corona viruses. This group of patients includes, for example, people with autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatism or even chronic inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn’s disease. Such drugs are also taken by people suffering from HIV.
On the one hand, immunosuppressants help keep the immune system under control, but on the other hand they weaken it. People with autoimmune diseases must be especially careful not to contract viruses and other pathogens, as an infection can have fatal consequences.
Some pathogens are also very dangerous for people without previous illnesses. Caution and hygiene must therefore be the center of attention.
Gudrun Heise
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