Pre Existing Conditions are what?  Death risk increases how? Why treat?

‘Pre existing condition’ is a  description invented by life insurers, many generations ago, to describe health status of an insured beneficiary (a future patient).  The theory being that some people would hold off applying for life insurance while they thought they would live forever, until some malady, such as cancer, was diagnosed with a probability of substantially reduced life expectancy.  Then they would apply and hope to get life insurance coverage. The industry watched life expectancy tables carefully,  and the government reported   the same for public health purposes. ‘Pre existing condition’ is still a consideration for life insurance  which conducts health reviews for new insureds.   Or, if the life insurance policy is offered as guaranteed issue without a health review, it necessarily has a premium priced ten to twenty times higher than  for a health qualified insured.

A Pre existing condition will be divided into two groups, those which statistically influence life expectancy, and those which do not. Those which affect life expectancy are age, weight, gender, height, maladies, parental genetics, allergies, race, infections, religion, hypertension, tobacco use, alcohol use, drug use, wealth, marital status. 

Pre existing conditions which do not statistically affect life expectancy are hair color, eye color, baldness,  cataracts, freckles,  teeth, language,  veteran,  swimming, walking,  finger nails,  tattoos, tonsillectomy, body piercing, etc.

After World War Two, the health insurance industry recognized ‘pre existing condition’ as a significant factor  in medical care.  Again, some customers would hold off on buying health insurance and paying premiums,  until they suspected or were diagnosed with a malady which required physician or hospital care.  For years these conditions were excluded from health insurance coverage.  Then the  pre existing issue became a matter of policy for the government, so Medicare included ‘pre existing conditions’ for Medicare in the 1960s, and it was included in the Affordable Care act in 2010.  ‘Pre existing conditions’, arguably, should always be treated and paid, notwithstanding an insurance covered status, as providing experience and training,  for health providers and care givers. The experience benefits all.

Until recently, such was the world of pre existing condition.  With the spread of the CoronaVirus, the matter of pre existing condition became the bright line as to risk of death, as reported 99% of those  who die while infected with the CoronaVirus, have 3 or more pre existing conditions.  Moral, if you have a bad pre existing condition, don’t expose yourself to a CoronaVirus Carrier.

Here is a list of the 11 leading pre existing causes of death for adults in 2015.

1.Diseases of heart (heart disease) 

2.Malignant neoplasms (cancer) 

3.Chronic lower respiratory diseases 

5.Cerebrovascular diseases (stroke) 

6.Alzheimer’s disease 

7.Diabetes mellitus (diabetes) 

9.Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis (kidney  disease) 

12.Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis 

13.Essential hypertension and hypertensive renal disease (hypertension) 

14.Parkinson’s disease 

15.Pneumonitis due to solids and liquids 

Four Of the 15 leading causes, #4 accidents (unintentional injuries) #10 Intentional self harm suicide and the maladies, #8 Influenza and pneumonia (combining a half dozen separate virus groups)  #11 Septicemia, would not be pre existing condition. 

            The CoronaVirus tests as of March 2020, reported 1 death of a 14 year old out of the thousands of deaths, and no infants.  99% of the deaths were patients with 3 pre existing conditions and over the age of 80.

Infant Deaths

            Although infants have not been affected by the CoronaVirus, they also have pre existing conditions.  Here is a list of the  10 leading causes of death for infants, about 6 deaths per 1,000 live births. In 2015, a total of 23,455 deaths occurred in children under age 1

            Congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities (congenital malformations)

Disorders related to short gestation and low birth weight, not elsewhere classified (low birth weight) 

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) 

Newborn affected by maternal complications of pregnancy (maternal complications) Accidents (unintentional injuries) Bacterial sepsis of newborn 

Respiratory distress of newborn 

Diseases of the circulatory system 

Neonatal hemorrhage 

Two  of the causes,  #3 Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) ,  #5 accidents would not be a pre existing condition.

            ‘’ Although Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease has not been among the 15 leading causes of death since 1997 (24), it is still considered a major public health problem for some age groups.’’

            Enterocolitis due to Clostridium difficile (C. difficile)—a predominantly antibiotic-associated inflammation of the intestines caused by C. difficile, a gram-positive, anaerobic, spore-forming bacillus—is of growing concern. The disease is often acquired in hospitals or other health care facilities with long-term patients or residents (26,27). The number of deaths from C. difficile climbed from 793 deaths in 1999 to a high of 8,085 deaths in 2011.

                  In 2015, a total of 55,403 persons died of drug-induced causes in the United States (Tables 5, 6, 8, and I–1). This category includes deaths from poisoning and medical conditions caused by use of legal or illegal drugs, as well as deaths from poisoning due to medically prescribed and other drugs.

                  In 2015, a total of 33,171 persons died of alcohol-induced causes in the United States (Tables 5, 6, 8, and I–2). This category includes deaths from dependent and nondependent use of alcohol, as well as deaths from accidental poisoning by alcohol.

                  In 2015, a total of 214,008 deaths were classified as injury-related.

                  These are a list of the causes of death from the Vital Statistics report, not ranked by frequency. For the incidence, percentage, or numbers see the report.

Alcohol Accidental poisoning;  

Alcohol Degeneration of nervous system;

Alcohol in blood;  

Alcohol Intentional self-poisoning, 

Alcohol Poisoning by undetermined intent.

Alcohol use Mental and behavioral disorders; 

Alcohol-induced acute pancreatitis; 

Alcohol-induced chronic pancreatitis; 

Alcohol-induced pseudo-Cushing’s syndrome; 

Alcoholic cardiomyopathy; 

Alcoholic gastritis; 

Alcoholic liver disease; 

Alcoholic myopathy; 

Alcoholic polyneuropathy; 

Alzheimer’s disease

Anemias

Anoxic brain damage, not elsewhere

Asthma

Bronchitis Acute and acute bronchiolitis .

cardiovascular diseases

Cerebrovascular diseases

Cholelithiasis and other disorders of gallbladder

Chronic lower respiratory diseases.

Cystic fibrosis

Diabetes mellitus

Diseases of the blood and blood-forming organs and certain disorders involving the immune 

Diseases of the circulatory system

Diseases of the ear and mastoid process.

Drug- induced aplastic anemia;

Drug- induced nonautoimmune hemolytic anemia,

Drug- induced Secondary sideroblastic anemiar;

Drug-induced adrenocortical insufficiency;

Drug-induced chorea; 

Drug-induced Cushing’s syndrome;

Drug-induced dystonia; 

Drug-induced folate deficiency anemia,

Drug-induced headache, not elsewhere classified; 

Drug-induced hemolytic anemia,

Drug-induced hypoglycemia without coma;

Drug-induced hypopituitarism;

Drug-induced Mental and behavioral disorders due to psychoactive substance use;
Drug-induced secondary parkinsonism; 

Drug-induced thyroiditis;

Drug-induced tics and other tics of organic origin; 

Drug-induced tremor; 

Drug Finding addictive potential in blood; 

Drug finding of cocaine in blood; 

Drug Finding of hallucinogen in blood;

Drug Finding of opiate in blood; F

Drug Finding of psychotropic in blood.

Drug- induced acute pancreatitis; 

drug-induced Acute interstitial lung disorders; 

Drug-induced and medicaments Generalized skin eruption; 

Drug-induced and medicaments Localized skin eruption due to drugs; 

Drug-induced Chronic interstitial lung disorders

Drug-induced fever;

Drug-induced gout; 

Drug-induced Hypotension; 

Drug-induced interstitial lung disorder, unspecified; 

Drug-induced myopathy

drug-induced osteomalacia in adults; 

Drug-induced Osteonecrosis; 

Drug-induced osteoporosis with pathological fracture; 

Drug-induced osteoporosis;

Drug-induced pemphigus; 

Drug-induced polyneuropathy; 

Drug-induced systemic lupus erythematosus;

Enterocolitis due to Clostridium difficile

Gastritis, duodenitis, and noninfective  enteritis and colitis. 

Heart Diseases 

Heart Diseases  hypertension and hypertensive

Heart Diseases Aortic aneurysm and dissection

Heart Diseases Atherosclerosis

Hernia of abdominal cavity and intestinal  obstruction without hernia

Infantile cerebral palsy

Infantile spinal muscular atrophy, type I  (Werdnig-Hoffman) .

infectious diseases Acute poliomyelitis

infectious diseases Congenital syphilis.

infectious diseases Diphtheria

infectious diseases Gonococcal infection

infectious diseases Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) 

infectious diseases Measles

infectious diseases Meningococcal

infectious diseases Tetanus

infectious diseases Tuberculosis.

infectious diseases Varicella (chickenpox)

infectious diseases Whooping cough

Influenza and pneumonia

intestinal infectious diseases Diarrhea and gastroenteritis of  infectious origin.

Leukemia.

liver disease Alcoholic

liver disease Chronic cirrhosis

Malignant melanoma of skin

Malignant neoplasm of bladder

Malignant neoplasm of breast .

Malignant neoplasm of cervix uteri

Malignant neoplasm of esophagus

Malignant neoplasm of ovary .

Malignant neoplasm of pancreas

Malignant neoplasm of prostate 

Malignant neoplasm of stomach

Malignant neoplasms of colon,  rectum and anus

Malignant neoplasms of kidney and renal pelvis

Malignant neoplasms of lip, oral cavity and pharynx

Malignant neoplasms of liver ad intrahepatic bile ducts.

Malignant neoplasms of meninges, brain and other parts of central nervous system

Malignant neoplasms of trachea, bronchus and lung(

Meningitis

Multiple myeloma and immunoproliferative neoplasms

neoplasms In situ, neoplasms benign and neoplasms of uncertain or unknown behavior

Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis(

Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma  

Nutritional deficiencies

Obesity

Parkinson’s disease .

Pneumonitis due to solids and liquids- inflammation of Lungs vlveoli walls 

Renal disease

Renal failure and other disorders of  kidney.

Respiratory infections Acute upper.

Septicemia.

Viral hepatitis

Volume depletion, disorders of fluid, electrolyte and  acid-base balance

Source; National Vital Statistics Reports,  Volume 66, number 6.

Civil Defense Manual and Headquarters. 

Bottom line, if you don’t have 3 of the pre existing conditions,  you have a very low risk of  any difficulty from an upper respiratory infection.

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