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Effect of obesity on COVID-19 disease severity in children
Yakup Çağ1, Ayşe Karaaslan2, Aslı A Çıkrıkçıoğlu1
1Department of Pediatrics, University of Health Sciences, Kartal Dr. Lutfi Kirdar City Hospital, Istanbul, Türkiye.
Insights
Obese children experience more COVID-19 symptoms and lung involvement, indicating a more severe disease course. This study highlights obesity as a significant risk factor in pediatric COVID-19 cases.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
- Metabolic Disorders
Background:
- Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has led to significant global morbidity and mortality.
- Obesity is a recognized risk factor for severe COVID-19, but mechanisms in children remain unclear.
- Understanding the impact of pediatric obesity on COVID-19 severity is crucial for public health strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between obesity and overweight status and the clinical course of COVID-19 in pediatric patients.
- To determine if body mass index (BMI) influences symptom presentation and disease severity in children with COVID-19.
- To identify potential BMI thresholds associated with increased risk of lung involvement in pediatric COVID-19.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 116 pediatric patients (under 18) with confirmed COVID-19 infection.
- Data collected included demographics, symptoms, anthropometrics (weight, height), chest radiographs, laboratory results, and hospitalization duration.
- Patients were categorized into underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obese groups based on BMI percentiles for statistical comparison.
Main Results:
- Overweight and obese children exhibited a higher incidence of COVID-19 symptoms compared to normal-weight and underweight children (p < 0.05).
- Obese pediatric patients demonstrated a significantly higher rate of lung involvement on chest radiographs (p < 0.05).
- A BMI percentile cutoff of >91 was identified as optimal for predicting lung involvement in pediatric COVID-19 cases.
Conclusions:
- Obesity in children is associated with increased symptom frequency during COVID-19 infection.
- Obese children are more prone to lung involvement, suggesting a more severe disease trajectory.
- These findings underscore the importance of managing pediatric obesity to mitigate risks associated with COVID-19.
Introduction:
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused many injuries and deaths worldwide. Obesity is reported to be an important risk factor for severe COVID-19, although the underlying mechanism is not fully understood. The present study aimed to determine whether obesity or being overweight is associated with the clinical course and severity of COVID-19 in children.
Methodology:
In this retrospective study, pediatric patients under the age of 18 years, who applied to our hospital between June 2021 and August 2021, and tested positive with the COVID-19 reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction test were included. Age, gender, symptoms at admission, body weight, height, chest radiographs, hemograms, C-reactive protein and other laboratory findings, and days of hospitalization of the pediatric patients were obtained from the hospital automation system. All data were statistically analyzed and compared between underweight, normal, overweight, and obese groups; categorized according to body mass index (BMI).
Results:
The study included 116 patients. The results showed that the incidence of symptoms was higher in overweight and obese children compared to other groups (p < 0.05), while the rate of lung involvement was significantly higher in obese patients compared to other groups (p < 0.05). The optimum cut-off point for BMI percentile values in terms of lung involvement was determined to be > 91.
Conclusions:
The results of this study revealed that obese children show more symptoms of COVID-19 disease than normal-weight children. In addition, these children have more frequent lung involvement and therefore have more severe disease.
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