COVID Obesity: A One-Year Narrative Review

Area of Science:

• Public Health and Epidemiology
• Infectious Diseases
• Obesity Research

Background:

• The World Health Organization declared coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) a pandemic in March 2020.
• Obesity is a prevalent condition with potential implications for infectious disease outcomes.
• Understanding the relationship between obesity and COVID-19 severity is crucial for public health strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a narrative review on the association between obesity and COVID-19 during the first year of the pandemic.
• To analyze the Body Mass Index (BMI) values of severe versus non-severe COVID-19 patients.
• To propose a standardized terminology for obesity in the context of COVID-19.

Main Methods:

• A narrative review methodology was employed.
• Searches were conducted in scientific databases for studies published up to December 8, 2020.
• A total of 24 relevant articles were included from an initial pool of 4430.
• Data on BMI for severe and non-severe COVID-19 cases were extracted and analyzed.

Main Results:

• The mean BMI for severe COVID-19 patients ranged from 24.5 to 33.4 kg/m².
• Non-severe COVID-19 patients had a mean BMI ranging from <18.5 to 24.3 kg/m².
• Many studies lacked precise BMI definitions for overweight and obese patients, leading to classification ambiguities.

Conclusions:

• Obesity, indicated by specific BMI ranges, is associated with increased COVID-19 severity.
• Standardized anthropometric measurements, particularly BMI, are essential for accurate research and clinical assessment.
• The term "COVID obesity" is proposed to emphasize the significance of obesity as a factor in the COVID-19 pandemic.