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. 2021 Mar 10;31(3):762-768.
doi: 10.1016/j.numecd.2020.11.012. Epub 2020 Nov 20.

Obesity as a risk factor for unfavourable outcomes in critically ill patients affected by Covid 19

Andrea P Rossi  1 , Leonardo Gottin  2 , Katia Donadello  2 , Vittorio Schweiger  2 , Riccardo Nocini  3 , Matteo Taiana  2 , Mauro Zamboni  4 , Enrico Polati  2
Affiliations

Obesity as a risk factor for unfavourable outcomes in critically ill patients affected by Covid 19

Andrea P Rossi et al. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. .

Abstract

Background and aims: Recent studies show that obesity is a risk factor for hospital admission and for critical care need in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The aim was to determine whether obesity is a risk factor for unfavourable health outcomes in patients affected by COVID-19 admitted to ICU.

Methods and results: 95 consecutive patients with COVID-19 (78 males and 18 females) were admitted to ICU and included in the study. Height, weight, BMI, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) scores, CRP, CPK, ICU and hospital length of stay and comorbidities were evaluated. Participants with obesity had a lower 28 day survival rate from ICU admission than normal weight subjects. Cox proportional hazard model-derived estimates, adjusted for age, gender and comorbidity, confirmed the results of the survival analysis (HR:5.30,95%C.I.1.26-22.34). Obese subjects showed longer hospital and ICU stay as compared with normal weight counterpart.Subjects with obesity showed significantly higher CRP and CPK levels than normal weight subjects.

Conclusion: In individuals with obesity, careful management and prompt intervention in case of suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection is necessary to prevent the progression of the disease towards severe outcomes and the increase of hospital treatment costs.

Keywords: Body mass index; COVID-19; Intensive care unit; Obesity; SARS-CoV-2.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Competing Interest None.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Kaplan–Meier survival curves for all-cause mortality according to BMI groups, normal weight, overweight and obese. BMI: body mass index.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Changes during the first 7 days from admission in ICU in CRP level (Panel A) and CPK level (Panel B) across different BMI groups. a p < .05, b p < .01.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

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