Authors: Cornelli Umberto, Belcaro Giovanni, Cesarone Maria Rosaria, Recchia Martino, Cotellese Roberto
Importance: the common believe is that aging and concomitant chronic diseases are facilitating the infection and death from COVID-19. This may cause a limitation of the freedom of these patients and a severe discomfort ontheir daily living.
Objective: all the deaths due to COVID-19 have been analyzed in those 49 countries (49 SC) considered by WHO as reliable in terms of data recording. In the same countries the deaths for the most common chronic diseases were considered in terms of Age Standardized Death Rates (ASDRs).
Evidence review: Records of the WHO in terms of ASDRs were retrieved and records from Global Health Estimates of World Health Organization 2018. The deaths for COVID-19 were taken by the John Hopkins Registry up to the May 19th 2020.
Findings: No correlation were found with COVID-19 deaths and variables related to aging; no correlation was found with, diabetes type II, cardiovascular diseases, digestive and pulmonary diseases; only senile dementia was found positively correlated.
Conclusions and Relevance: COVID-19 represents an independent disease and many of the common believes that aging and concomitant diseases are increasing the risk of death should be carefully revised.
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