ArticlePloS one2020
Is older age associated with COVID-19 mortality in the absence of other risk factors? General population cohort study of 470,034 participants.
Article in PloS one, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 160 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
160 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Higher Risk of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome and Risk Factors among Patients with COVID-19: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis and Meta-Regression.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Probiotics for preventing or treating COVID-19; a systematic review of research evidence and meta-analyses of efficacy for preventing death, severe disease, or disease progression.Wellcome open research · 2022Pooled it
- Prevalence and characteristics of malaria among COVID-19 individuals: A systematic review, meta-analysis, and analysis of case reports.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2021Pooled it
- Frailty as a mortality predictor in older adults with COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies.Geriatric nursing (New York, N.Y.)Pooled it
- Fear learning and generalization during pandemic fear: How COVID-19-related anxiety affects classical fear conditioning with traumatic film clips.Journal of psychiatric research · 2022Trial
- High-risk profiles for functional and cognitive decline following COVID-19 confinement in nursing home residents: A multicentre observational studyAnales del sistema sanitario de Navarra · 2026Observational
- Identifying direct risk factors in UK Biobank via simultaneous Bayesian-frequentist model-averaged hypothesis testing using Doublethink.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026Article
- Understanding older adults' perception, acceptance, and adoption of smart home technologies.PloS one · 2026Article
- Exploring the biological mechanisms of severe COVID-19 in the elderly: Insights from an aged mouse model.Virulence · 2025Article
- Disparities in COVID-19 mortality in the United States, 2020-2023.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Enhancing nursing care through technology and standardized nursing language: The TEC-MED multilingual platform.International journal of nursing knowledge · 2025Article
- Association of Cancer History with COVID-19 Risk and Outcomes among Older Postmenopausal Women: Results from the Women's Health Initiative.Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology · 2025Article
- Article
- Effect of antecedent B-cell depletion therapy for patients hospitalized with COVID-19 within a single health system: a propensity score analysis.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- A longitudinal cohort study on dispensed analgesic and psychotropic medications in older adults before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic: the HUNT study.BMC geriatrics · 2025Observational
- Blood absolute lymphocyte count and trajectory are important in understanding severe COVID-19.BMC infectious diseases · 2025Article
- Individual, household structure, and socioeconomic predictors of COVID-19 testing and vaccination outcomes: a whole population linked data analysis.International journal of population data science · 2025Article
- Sleep quality during and after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (COVID-19) lockdowns in the UK: Results from the SleepQuest study.Journal of sleep research · 2024Article
- Routine measurement of cardiometabolic disease risk factors in primary care in England before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic: A population-based cohort study.PLoS medicine · 2024Article
- Priorities and challenges in social and healthcare policies for older people living in the Mediterranean basin: A Delphi panel study.BMC geriatrics · 2024Article
100 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
16 authors.
Funding
Abstract
introductionOlder people have been reported to be at higher risk of COVID-19 mortality. This study explored the factors mediating this association and whether older age was associated with increased mortality risk in the absence of other risk factors.
methodsIn UK Biobank, a population cohort study, baseline data were linked to COVID-19 deaths. Poisson regression was used to study the association between current age and COVID-19 mortality.
resultsAmong eligible participants, 438 (0.09%) died of COVID-19. Current age was associated exponentially with COVID-19 mortality. Overall, participants aged ≥75 years were at 13-fold (95% CI 9.13-17.85) mortality risk compared with those <65 years. Low forced expiratory volume in 1 second, high systolic blood pressure, low handgrip strength, and multiple long-term conditions were significant mediators, and collectively explained 39.3% of their excess risk. The associations between these risk factors and COVID-19 mortality were stronger among older participants. Participants aged ≥75 without additional risk factors were at 4-fold risk (95% CI 1.57-9.96, P = 0.004) compared with all participants aged <65 years.
conclusionsHigher COVID-19 mortality among older adults was partially explained by other risk factors. 'Healthy' older adults were at much lower risk. Nonetheless, older age was an independent risk factor for COVID-19 mortality.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.