COVID-19: Impact of obesity and diabetes on disease severity
Salman Al-Sabah1,2, Mohannad Al-Haddad1, Sarah Al-Youha1
1COVID-19 Research Group, Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah Hospital, Kuwait City, Kuwait.
Insights
Obesity and diabetes increase the risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes, including intensive care unit (ICU) admission. These conditions are linked to poorer prognoses in hospitalized patients, highlighting a need for targeted management strategies.
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Epidemiology
- Critical Care Medicine
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic presents a significant burden on healthcare systems globally.
- Severe COVID-19 outcomes necessitate intensive care unit (ICU) admission, straining resources.
- Understanding risk factors for severe COVID-19 is crucial for patient management and resource allocation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between obesity and diabetes and severe COVID-19 outcomes.
- To assess the risk of ICU admission for COVID-19 patients with obesity and diabetes.
- To identify demographic and clinical factors associated with ICU admittance in COVID-19 patients.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective cohort study of 1158 patients hospitalized with COVID-19.
- Analysis of medical history, demographics, and patient characteristics.
- Univariate and multivariate regression analyses to determine associations with ICU admittance.
Main Results:
- Overweight, obesity class I, and morbid obesity were associated with ICU admission.
- Diabetes was significantly linked to increased ICU admission rates.
- Hypertension showed a protective effect against ICU admission in this cohort.
Conclusions:
- Obesity and diabetes are significant risk factors for severe COVID-19 outcomes requiring ICU care.
- These comorbidities are associated with increased ICU admittance and poorer outcomes in COVID-19 patients.
- Findings underscore the importance of managing obesity and diabetes in COVID-19 patients to mitigate severe disease progression.
Abstract:
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is straining the healthcare system, particularly for patients with severe outcomes requiring admittance to the intensive care unit (ICU). This study investigated the potential associations of obesity and diabetes with COVID-19 severe outcomes, assessed as ICU admittance. Medical history, demographic and patient characteristics of a retrospective cohort (1158 patients) hospitalized with COVID-19 were analysed at a single centre in Kuwait. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to explore the associations between different variables and ICU admittance. Of 1158 hospitalized patients, 271 had diabetes, 236 had hypertension and 104 required admittance into the ICU. From patients with available measurements, 157 had body mass index (BMI) ≥25 kg/m2 . Univariate analysis showed that overweight, obesity class I and morbid obesity were associated with ICU admittance. Patients with diabetes were more likely to be admitted to the ICU. Two models for multivariate regression analysis assessed either BMI or diabetes on ICU outcomes. In the BMI model, class I and morbid obesities were associated with ICU admittance. In the diabetes model, diabetes was associated with increased ICU admittance, whereas hypertension had a protective effect on ICU admittance. In our cohort, overweight, obesity and diabetes in patients with COVID-19 were associated with ICU admittance, increasing the risk of poor outcomes.
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