Diabetes mellitus and hypertension are recognized risk factors for severe clinical outcomes, including death, associated with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus infection. Among 32 virus-infected patients in Saudi Arabia, severity of illness and frequency of death corresponded closely with presence of multiple and more severe underlying conditions.
Keywords: MERS-CoV; Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus; Saudi Arabia; death; diabetes mellitus; hypertension; infection; underlying conditions; vector-borne infections; viruses; zoonoses.