A high-risk individual, high-risk person, or high-risk population is a human being or beings living with an increased risk for severe illness due to age, medical condition, pregnancy/post-pregnant conditions, geographical location, or a combination of these risk factors.[1]
High-risk people qualification
High-risk people can be of any age.[2] High-risk populations are vulnerable to serious illness.[3] Globally, societal factors including limited access to healthcare and inadequate hygiene facilities can result in high-risk individuals.[3][4][5] Access to proper healthcare is essential to the health and treatment of high-risk individuals, particularly high-risk mothers and infants.[3] High-risk individuals can require long-term care.[3]
In immunology, a person qualifies as a high-risk individual if their immune system is compromised or suppressed whether due to disease, cancer, chronic conditions, prescription medications, or recent surgical procedures.[6][7][8] High-risk people are more susceptible to hospitalization and death from the Coronavirus disease 2019.[9] The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends high-risk persons get the COVID-19 vaccine.[10][9]
In psychiatry, a high-risk individual is a patient who engages in high-risk behaviors.[11] In addiction treatment lexicon, a high-risk person refers to a person with a high likelihood of addiction and/or high likelihood of relapse.[12]
Criteria for COVID-19
Risk factors that have been cited in the United States as defining high-risk individuals for suffering the more serious symptoms of COVID-19 include:[13][14]
- Being 65 years of age or older
- Being obese
- Living in a nursing home or long-term care facility
- Being diabetic
- Being pregnant/post-pregnant
- Having chronic kidney disease or are undergoing dialysis
- Having lung diseases, including moderate to severe asthma
- Having serious heart conditions or hypertension
- Being immunocompromised
- Having sickle cell disease
- Having neurodevelopmental disorders such as cerebral palsy
See also
References
- ^ "COVID-19 and Your Health". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC. 11 February 2020. Archived from the original on 27 August 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
- ^ Morris, Amanda (2021-08-09). "Families of High-Risk Children Despair Over Covid Resurgence". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2021-08-19. Retrieved 2021-08-27.
- ^ a b c d Aday, Lu Ann (2002-02-28). At Risk in America: The Health and Health Care Needs of Vulnerable Populations in the United States. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0-7879-5932-6.
- ^ Summers, Nancy (2003). Fundamentals for Practice with High-risk Populations. Brooks/Cole. ISBN 978-0-534-55866-6.
- ^ Forman, Samuel; Kelliher, Matthew (1999-06-29). Status One: Breakthroughs in High Risk Population Health Management. Wiley. ISBN 978-0-7879-4154-3.
- ^ Banach, Je (2020-04-01). "I Am High-Risk for COVID-19—We Need to Talk". Vogue. Archived from the original on 2021-08-14. Retrieved 2021-08-27.
- ^ "The Plague Year". The New Yorker. 2020-12-23. Archived from the original on 2021-08-25. Retrieved 2021-08-27.
- ^ "COVID-19: Who's at higher risk of serious symptoms?". Mayo Clinic. Archived from the original on 2021-05-13. Retrieved 2021-08-27.
- ^ a b "Coronavirus and COVID-19: Who is at higher risk?". www.hopkinsmedicine.org. Archived from the original on 2021-07-17. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
- ^ CDC (2020-02-11). "Healthcare Workers". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
- ^ McCarron, Robert M.; Xiong, Glen L.; Keenan, Craig R.; Nasrallah, Henry A. (2015-04-01). Preventive Medical Care in Psychiatry: A Practical Guide for Clinicians. American Psychiatric Pub. ISBN 978-1-58562-546-8.
- ^ Pates, Richard; Riley, Diane (2012-05-31). Harm Reduction in Substance Use and High-Risk Behaviour. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-118-34335-7.
- ^ "HIGH-RISK FOR SEVERE COVID-19 OR COMPLICATIONS FROM COVID-19" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-04-17. Retrieved 2021-08-27.
- ^ Affairs (ASPA), Assistant Secretary for Public (2021-02-18). "How Do I Know if I'm High Risk, and What Do I Do Next?". combatCOVID.hhs.gov. Archived from the original on 2021-08-25. Retrieved 2021-08-27.
This page was last edited on 5 October 2023, at 08:35