More than 99% of Italy’s coronavirus fatalities were people who suffered from previous medical conditions, according to a study by the country’s national health authority.
After deaths from the virus reached more than 2,500, with a 150% increase in the past week, health authorities have been combing through data to provide clues to help combat the spread of the disease.
The new research from the National Institutes of Health released Tuesday evaluated 355 of the country’s fatalities and found that only three patients had no prior medical conditions.
Nearly half the COVID-19 victims suffered from at least one of the following conditions: high blood pressure, diabetes or heart disease.
More than 75% reported high blood pressure, while 35% had diabetes and 33% had heart disease, according to the study.
The new study could provide insight into why Italy’s death rate, at about 8% of total infected people, is higher than in other countries.
Rome-based Italy National Health Institute has examined medical records of about 18% of the country’s coronavirus fatalities, finding that just three victims, or 0.8% of the total, had no previous pathology. Almost half of the victims suffered from at least three prior illnesses and about a fourth had either one or two previous conditions.
More than 75% had high blood pressure, about 35% had diabetes and a third suffered from heart disease.
The country has seen around 8% of patients die from the illness as about 4% of cases worldwide have resulted in death since the outbreak in December, according to the World Health Organization.
