President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump have both tested positive for COVID-19.
Both were experiencing mild symptoms, according to a White House official and the first lady.
"The odds are far and away that he’ll have a mild illness" as most people with the virus do, said Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious disease specialist at the Mayo Clinic.
But COVID-19 is very unpredictable, he stressed. And the president has several issues that could put him at greater risk of becoming seriously ill.
RISK FACTOR #1: OLDER AGE
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.
Fact: People ages 65-74 are 7 times more likely to be hospitalized for COVID-19 than those 18-29. (Source: CDC)
RISK FACTOR #2: OBESITY
Trump's body mass index puts him in the obese range, per the CDC.
"Obesity is a state of chronic lowered immunity … you don’t respond to infections as well" as people of normal weight, Poland said.
RISK FACTOR #3: HIGH CHOLESTEROL
Trump takes a statin drug to lower his cholesterol, and that condition also raises his risk for COVID-19 complications, doctors said.