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. 2021 Apr;11(2):e12442.
doi: 10.1111/cob.12442. Epub 2021 Feb 7.

Costs of the COVID-19 pandemic associated with obesity in Europe: A health-care cost model

Sebastien Czernichow  1   2   3 , Stephen C Bain  4 , Matthew Capehorn  5 , Mette Bøgelund  6 , Maria Elmegaard Madsen  6 , Cecilie Yssing  6 , Annabell Cajus McMillan  6 , Ana-Paula Cancino  7 , Ulrik Haagen Panton  7
Affiliations

Costs of the COVID-19 pandemic associated with obesity in Europe: A health-care cost model

Sebastien Czernichow et al. Clin Obes. 2021 Apr.

Abstract

Excess weight is associated with severe outcomes of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We aimed to estimate the total secondary care costs by body mass index (BMI, kg/m2 ) category when hospitalized due to COVID-19 in Europe during the first wave of the pandemic from January to June 2020. Building a health-care cost model, this study aimed to estimate the total costs of COVID-19. Information on risk of hospitalization, admission to intensive care unit (ICU) and risk of ventilation were based on published data. Average cost per patient and in total were calculated based on risks of admission to ICU, risk of invasive mechanical ventilation and length of hospital stay when hospitalized and published costs associated with hospitalization. The total direct costs of secondary care during the first wave of COVID-19 in Europe were estimated at EUR 13.9 billon, whereof 76% accounted for treating people with overweight and obesity. The average cost per hospital admission increased with BMI, from EUR 15831 for BMI <25 kg/m2 to EUR 30982 for BMI ≥40 kg/m2 . This study reveals that excess weight contributes disproportionally to the costs of COVID-19. This might reflect that overweight and obesity caused the COVID-19 pandemic to result in more severe outcomes for citizens and higher secondary care costs throughout Europe.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; health economics; obesity; pandemic.

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Conflict of interest statement

Sebastien Czernichow declares honoraria from Novo Nordisk, Lilly France, Janssen‐Cilag, Fresenius Kabi and Servier in the last 36 months. He owns a share of MyGoodLife. No funding was received for work associated with this manuscript. Stephen C. Bain declares honoraria, teaching and research sponsorship/grants from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli Lilly & Co, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Novo Nordisk, Roche, Sanofi‐Aventis; funding for development of educational programs from Cardiff University & Medscape. He owns a share of Glycosmedia and has provided expert advice to the All‐Wales Medicines Strategy Group and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) UK. No funding was received for work associated with this manuscript. Matthew Capehorn declares research funding in the past from Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Janssen, Boehringer, Eli Lilly & Co, Glaxo Smith Kline, Abbott, Syneos, Weightwatchers, Cambridge Weight plan and Lighterlife as well as honoraria or travel/accommodation expenses to attend Advisory Boards or Conferences or speaker meetings from Novo Nordisk, the BI/Lilly Alliance, and Lighterlife. No funding was received for work associated with this manuscript. Mette Bøgelund, Maria Elmegaard Madsen, Cecilie Yssing and Annabell Cajus McMillan are employees at Incentive Denmark ApS, which is a paid vendor of Novo Nordisk A/S. Ulrik Haagen Panton and Ana‐Paula Cancino are employees at Novo Nordisk A/S.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Flow chart for the rapid literature search
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Economic model outline
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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