Obesity and COVID-19: What are the Consequences?
Charlotte Steenblock1, Mohamed Hassanein2, Emran G Khan3
1Department of Medicine III, Universitätsklinikum Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden, Germany.
Insights
Obesity significantly increases the risk of severe COVID-19, with comorbidities like diabetes and hypertension exacerbating this. The review explores obesity
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- Metabolic Diseases
Background:
- Global rise in obesity presents a significant public health challenge.
- Obesity is a major risk factor for severe COVID-19 outcomes, including hospitalization and mortality.
- Metabolic comorbidities (type 2 diabetes, hypertension) amplify COVID-19 severity in obese individuals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the mechanisms linking obesity and increased risk of severe COVID-19.
- To examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on weight gain and obesity prevalence.
- To emphasize the critical need for global preventive strategies against obesity.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing scientific literature on obesity, COVID-19, and metabolic comorbidities.
- Analysis of epidemiological data concerning obesity and COVID-19 hospitalization rates.
- Discussion of physiological and immunological pathways involved.
Main Results:
- Obesity alone accounts for 20% of COVID-19 hospitalizations; combined with comorbidities, it reaches 60%.
- The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to increased weight gain globally due to lifestyle changes during lockdowns.
- Specific pathways mediating increased COVID-19 severity in obese individuals are identified.
Conclusions:
- Urgent global action is needed to address childhood and adult obesity through improved nutrition and policy.
- Preventing the interface between non-communicable diseases like obesity and communicable diseases like COVID-19 is crucial for future pandemic preparedness.
- Public health initiatives must prioritize obesity prevention and management to mitigate risks from infectious diseases.
Abstract:
Obesity is an increasing health problem all over the world. In combination with the current COVID-19 pandemic, this has turned into a massive challenge as individuals with overweight and obesity at all ages show a significant increase in their risk of getting severe COVID-19. Around 20% of all patients that were hospitalized for COVID-19 suffered from obesity alone, whereas obesity in combination with other metabolic comorbidities, such as type 2 diabetes and hypertension, account for up to 60% of all hospitalizations in relation to COVID-19. Therefore, it is of immense importance to put the spotlight on the high incidence of obesity present already in childhood both by changing the individual minds and by encouraging politicians and the whole society to commence preventive interventions for achieving a better nutrition for all social classes all over the world. In the current review, we aim to explain the different pathways and mechanisms that are responsible for the increased risk of severe COVID-19 in people with overweight and obesity. Furthermore, we discuss how the pandemic has led to weight gains in many people during lockdown. At the end, we discuss the importance of preventing such an interface between a non-communicable disease like obesity and a communicable disease like COVID-19 in the future.
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