Work

Association of obesity with postacute sequelae of COVID ‐19

Year: 2021

Type: article

Abstract: Obesity is a major risk factor for the development of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) infection and mortality. However, it is not known whether patients with obesity are at a greater risk of developing postacute sequelae of COVID‐19 (PASC). In a median follow‐up time of 8 months and counting from 30 days following a positive viral test of 2839 patients who did not require intensive care unit admission and survived the acute phase of COVID‐19, 1230 (43%) patients required medical diagnostic tests, 1255 (44%) patients underwent hospital admission, and 29 (1%) patients died. Compared with patients with a normal body mass index (BMI), the risk of hospital admission was 28% and 30% higher in patients with moderate and severe obesity, respectively. The need for diagnostic tests to assess different medical problems, compared with patients with normal BMI, was 25% and 39% higher in patients with moderate and severe obesity, respectively. The findings of this study suggest that moderate and severe obesity (BMI ≥ 35 kg/m 2 ) are associated with a greater risk of PASC.

Source: Diabetes Obesity and Metabolism

DOI: 10.1111/dom.14454

Authors: Ali Aminian, James Bena, Kevin M. Pantalone, Bartolome Burguera

Institutions: Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland Clinic Research

Language: English

Topic: Long-Term Effects of COVID-19

Subfield: Neurology

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: bronze

Funder: Cleveland Clinic