Trump’s age, health woes may make Prez more ill

Washington, Oct. 3: President Donald Trump has several strikes against him — age, obesity, elevated cholesterol and being male — that could put him at greater risk of becoming seriously ill from the Coronavirus infection he disclosed early Friday.

Here’s what experts say about Trump’s outlook and next steps.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS: Infection causes mild or no symptoms in about 80 per cent of cases. About 15 per cent of people become seriously ill and 5 per cent get critically ill. Symptoms, when they do occur, usually appear two to 14 days after infection and can include loss of smell or taste, coughing, a sore throat, trouble breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea and fever. Up to half of patients who are hospitalised don’t have a fever when admitted but nearly all develop one. How people fare varies widely — some seem to be recovering and then suddenly worsen. Pneumonia, often with a specific appearance on X-rays, sometimes develops but complications in virtually every organ of the body have been reported. Doctors also increasingly recognize that some people have long-lasting symptoms. TRUMP’S RISKS Older age, being male and having any other health problems increase the chance of severe illness, and Trump has those. At 74, “his age would be the primary risk factor,” said Dr. David Banach, an infectious diseases physician at the University of Connecticut's health system. —