Death from the coronavirus will result in over ten years of life lost per person, according to new research from a Scottish university.

A team of researchers at the University of Glasgow has taken analysis beyond the number of deaths, and looked at how it will impact humanity in the long run.

In an analysis published on Thursday, they say the number of years of life lost per person appear to be similar to diseases such as coronary heart disease.

“As most people dying with Covid-19 are older with underlying chronic conditions, some have speculated that the impact of the condition may have been overstated and that the actual number of years of life lost as a result of Covid-19 are relatively low,” explains Dr David McAllister, who is leading the research team.

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“This new analysis found that death from Covid-19 results in over ten years of life lost per person, even after taking account of the typical number and type of chronic conditions found in people dying of Covid-19. 

"Among people dying of Covid-19, the number of years of life lost per person appear similar to diseases such as coronary heart disease."

They say this information is important as it ensures governments and the public to not wrongly underestimate the effects of Covid-19 on individuals.

The study reports estimated years of life lost due to COVID-19, before and after adjustment for number and type of chronic conditions. 

To conduct the research, the team took information from Italy on the age at which people with Covid-19 died, and the number and type of chronic conditions they had.

Their report, published in Wellcome Open Research but not yet peer-reviewed, states: “Among patients dying of COVID-19, there appears to be a considerable burden in terms of years of life lost (YLL), commensurate with diseases such as coronary heart disease or pneumonia.

"While media coverage of the pandemic has focused heavily on COVID-19 affecting people with ‘underlying health conditions’, adjustment for number and type of long-term conditions only modestly reduces the estimated years of life lost due to COVID-19 compared to estimates based only on age and sex.

"Public health agencies and governments should report on YLL, ideally adjusting for the presence of underlying long-term conditions, to allow the public and policy-makers to better understand the burden of this disease”

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