Coronavirus patients who are elderly, from poor areas, and those who are of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) origin are more likely to die from Covid-19, the largest study of its kind has suggested.
Research published on Thursday signalled those from deprived social backgrounds were at a higher risk of death, while patients with uncontrolled diabetes or severe cases of asthma were also more likely to succumb to the virus.
The results chime with separate data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) earlier on Thursday which showed black males are 4.2 times more likely to die from a coronavirus-related death than white males, while black females are 4.3 times more likely than white females.
The ONS figures, which have been adjusted for age, suggest that men and women from all ethnic minority groups – except females with Chinese ethnicity – are at greater risk of dying from Covid-19 compared with those of white ethnicity.
Academics at the University of Oxford and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), working on behalf of NHS England, analysed pseudonymous health data of more than 17 million UK adults, and 5,707 deaths in hospitals, to deliver what scientists said was the best evidence to date on risk factors associated with coronavirus deaths.
Researchers found death from Covid-19 was strongly associated with being male, with a hazard ratio of 1.99, meaning they were almost twice as likely to die from the disease as females.
That risk was greater for people with uncontrolled diabetes, which had a hazard ratio of 2.36, while black people were at higher risk of death than white people, with a hazard ratio of between 1.71 and 2.17, the academics said.
Researchers said medical problems or deprivation only accounted for a small part in the excess risk of death in people from BAME backgrounds, although further research was needed to understand why.
The research was carried out via the OpenSAFELY analytics platform, which allowed GP records to be linked where they are stored for individual care.
Professor Liam Smeeth, professor of clinical epidemiology at LSHTM, an NHS doctor and co-lead on the study, said: “We need highly accurate data on which patients are most at risk in order to manage the pandemic and improve patient care.
“The answers provided by this OpenSAFELY analysis are of crucial importance to countries around the world.
“For example, it is very concerning to see that the higher risks faced by people from BAME backgrounds are not attributable to identifiable underlying health conditions.”
Further analysis using OpenSAFELY data is already under way.
