OBESITY AND COVID-19

 

SUMAIYA THAKUR

Wellness Coach

Fit Club, Amir Nisha, Aligarh, India

1. About 20% of the adult population in low/middle income countries, and around 70% in high income countries, is overweight or obese.
2. A strong association of COVID-19 infection, morbidity and mortality has been reported with obesity/overweight individuals.
3. The MERS-CoV pandemic in 2012 was also found to be related to obesity.
4. Obesity was reported to independently increase the risk for influenza morbidity/mortality.
5. A large meta-analysis showed that the odds of individuals with obesity being COVID-19 positive were 46% higher than non-obese individuals.
6. A study based on the UK Biobank data has shown that being overweight increased the risk of COVID-19 by 44%; while obesity doubled this risk.
7. A meta-analysis has shown that the odds of individuals with obesity being COVID-19 positive were 46% higher than non-obese individuals.
8. Obese patients often have underlying metabolic and inflammatory factors which trigger severe lung diseases.
9. Obesity is a strong independent risk factor for hospitalization.
10. In a study from New York, 41.7% of COVID-19 hospitalized patients were obese.
11. The odds of developing COVID-19 infection increased by 30-40% among individuals with obesity.
12. A meta-analysis found obese patients were 74% more likely to be admitted to ICUs.
13. These patients also had higher, but insignificant, odds of requiring invasive mechanical ventilation compared to non-obese individuals.
14. Adults with obesity had more than 6 fold higher risks for severe COVID-19, regardless of age, sex, or co-morbidities such as hypertension, diabetes and dyslipidemia.
15. Large waist circumference and greater body mass increase the difficulty of care in hospital settings for supportive therapies such as intubation, mask ventilation and prone positioning.
16. Obese patients are vulnerable to an adverse clinical course of COVID-19 and have a more contagious state with prolonged periods of viral shedding than lean patients.
17. Obese populations have a decreased response to vaccinations.
18. Obesity is associated with impaired immune response to COVID-19 infection.
19. Obese patients have increased amounts of adipose tissue, and increased number of ACE2-expressing cells. ACE receptors and adipose tissue are supposedly the target sites for SARS-CoV virus.
20. Obese patients have chronically lowered concentrations of adiponectin (an anti-inflammatory adipokine) and higher levels of leptin (a pro-inflammatory adipokine). This leads to pro-inflammatory excess energy milieu.
21. In obese patients the B and T cell responses are disrupted, with reduced lymphocyte proliferative response.
22. Obesity is an important cause of thromboembolic events. So, obesity can be considered an aggravating risk factor for death from COVID-19 infection.
23. Obese patients strain the health care system, as they pose many challenges to healthcare provisions inside and outside the ICUs.
24. Regarding dietary factors, Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids can induce anti-inflammatory responses through cyclooxygenase (COX) activity.
25. Omega-6 (usually in vegetable oils) is being extensively consumed causing more pro-inflammatory responses.
26. In conclusion, controlling weight can be an important factor in avoiding COVID-19 infection and improving the survival odds.