Photo/Illutration Health care workers treat a COVID-19 patient in December 2020 in Saitama Prefecture. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Eighty percent of people under 60 who died from COVID-19 in Tokyo were male, according to a study that highlights the increased dangers of underlying conditions during the pandemic.

Obesity and diabetes caused by poor dietary habits, stress and lack of exercise are believed to worsen COVID-19 symptoms.

“Young patients who end up being on an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine or a ventilator are predominantly male,” said Hironori Sagara, director of Showa University Hospital.

The hospital in Tokyo’s Shinagawa Ward has admitted 628 COVID-19 patients since February 2020.

During the fifth wave of infections between July and September this year, the hospital took in 195 COVID-19 patients. One trend seen during the period was that male patients in their 40s and 50s were more likely to develop severe symptoms.

Many of them had a pre-existing conditions, such as diabetes and hypertension, Sagara said. Some of them had a body-mass index (BMI) exceeding 25, which indicates obesity.

Hiroo Hanabusa, who heads Shinjuku Hiro Clinic in the capital’s Shinjuku Ward and has treated at-home COVID-19 patients, said, “It was obvious that symptoms worsened in obese people.”

In August, Hanabusa saw about 70 COVID-19 patients on a steady basis, of which 90 percent were under 60, he said.

Obesity was more prevalent among male patients than female patients, he said.

One man only in his 20s required oxygen administration. He was obese and diabetic, Hanabusa said.

According to metropolitan government data, 2,883 people in the capital had died from COVID-19 as of Sept. 27.

People under 60 accounted for 267 of the deaths. Of that number, 216, or 80.9 percent, were male, while 51, or 19.1 percent, were female.

On Aug. 28, the capital confirmed a record-high 297 COVID-19 patients with severe symptoms. Males accounted for 225, or 75.8 percent, of them, while 72, or 24.2 percent, were female.

At least 30 percent of the under-60 deaths in September were of COVID-19 patients who were obese or had diabetes, according to the metropolitan government.

A group of researchers at Kitasato University studied digital medical records covering 28,095 people in the United States who were COVID-19 patients between January and November 2020.

Specifically, they analyzed the risks of being 65 years old or older, being male, having type 2 diabetes and being obese (a BMI higher than 30).

They found that if one of the four risk factors was present, the likelihood of hospitalization for COVID-19 increased threefold.

If two risk boxes were checked, hospitalization for COVID-19 was 6.5 times more likely, while three boxes represented a sixteenfold increase.

A COVID-19 patient with all four risk factors was 19 times more likely to be hospitalized, according to the study.

Takayuki Uematsu of Kitasato University Medical Center said the immune system is weaker among people who are obese or have diabetes.

Chronic inflammation occurs inside such bodies, which increases visceral fat and lowers the amount of lung ventilation. These factors also raise the risk of developing severe COVID-19 symptoms, he said.

Other experts pointed out that harsh working environments and other factors also put men at more risk of severe COVID-19 symptoms.

Takehiro Nozaki, who heads the Kyushu Central Hospital’s mental health center and treats patients with diabetes and eating disorders, said men are more likely to store visceral fat because of differences in hormonal secretion.

If they are too busy at work, they may not have time to take care of their health even if a potential problem is found at a routine physical examination, Nozaki said, adding that men tend not to take action until they notice symptoms.

Stress from work can also cause people to normalize eating and drinking binges, he said.

Related News