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Updated: Jun 7, 2026
07:09
Isolation of Adipose Tissue Immune Cells
Published on: May 22, 2013
Immunologic changes in obesity
Mitchell K Craft1, Mary Jane Reed
1Division of Critical Care Medicine, Geisinger Medical Center, 100 North Academy Avenue, Danville, PA 17822, USA.
Critical Care Clinics
|October 26, 2010
Summary
Obesity significantly alters immune function, leading to chronic inflammation. These immune changes may increase infectious complication risks in critically ill obese patients, though causality requires further investigation.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Obesity Research
- Critical Care Medicine
Background:
- Obesity is linked to numerous immune system changes.
- Critically ill obese patients face higher infectious complication risks.
- The causal role of immune alterations in these complications is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the immune system alterations in obese patients.
- To explore the potential link between obesity-induced immune changes and infectious complications.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of immune function between obese and lean individuals.
- Review of existing literature on immune alterations in obesity and critical care.
Main Results:
- Obesity causes widespread changes in immune function.
- A consistent finding is the chronic activation of inflammatory mediators in obese individuals.
Conclusions:
- Obesity profoundly impacts the immune system.
- Chronic inflammation appears to be a key consequence of obesity, potentially contributing to adverse outcomes in critical care.
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