Obesity as a Risk Factor for Complications and Mortality in Individuals with SARS-CoV-2: A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Public Health
• Metabolic Disorders

Background:

• Overweight and obesity are prevalent global health issues.
• The impact of excess weight on COVID-19 severity requires comprehensive analysis.
• Comorbidities like diabetes and hypertension are common in individuals with obesity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review studies on overweight/obesity as risk factors for COVID-19 outcomes.
• To analyze the association between excess weight and mortality, respiratory support, and biochemical markers in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
• To assess the quality of evidence regarding obesity and COVID-19 severity.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search of PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases until January 2024.
• Inclusion of studies meeting PRISMA guidelines, focusing on adult COVID-19 patients with overweight/obesity.
• Quality assessment using the Downs and Black tool.

Main Results:

• Eight studies involving 9782 adults met the inclusion criteria.
• Overweight and obesity were present in over half of hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
• Adults with overweight/obesity faced higher risks of mortality, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and need for respiratory support.
• Elevated biochemical markers (procalcitonin, CRP, IL-6) were associated with infection severity in this group.

Conclusions:

• Overweight and obesity are significant risk factors for adverse COVID-19 outcomes.
• Excess weight is associated with increased mortality, need for intensive care, and respiratory support.
• Obesity impacts biochemical markers, reflecting COVID-19 disease severity.