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Review
. 2021 Aug 27;41(8):BSR20210979.
doi: 10.1042/BSR20210979.

Obesity, a major risk factor for immunity and severe outcomes of COVID-19

Mohammad Tohidul Amin  1 , Kaniz Fatema  2 , Sayema Arefin  3 , Fahad Hussain  1 , Dipty Rani Bhowmik  1 , Mohammad Salim Hossain  1
Affiliations
Review

Obesity, a major risk factor for immunity and severe outcomes of COVID-19

Mohammad Tohidul Amin et al. Biosci Rep. .

Abstract

An influenza-like virus named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for COVID-19 disease and spread worldwide within a short time. COVID-19 has now become a significant concern for public health. Obesity is highly prevalent worldwide and is considered a risk factor for impairing the adaptive immune system. Although diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and renal failure are considered the risk factors for COVID-19, obesity is not yet well-considered. The present study approaches establishing a systemic association between the prevalence of obesity and its impact on immunity concerning the severe outcomes of COVID-19 utilizing existing knowledge. Overall study outcomes documented the worldwide prevalence of obesity, its effects on immunity, and a possible underlying mechanism covering obesity-related risk pathways for the severe outcomes of COVID-19. Overall understanding from the present study is that being an immune system impairing factor, the role of obesity in the severe outcomes of COVID-19 is worthy.

Keywords: ACE-2; COVID-19; Immunity; Morbidity; Obesity; SARS-CoV-2.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there are no competing interests associated with the manuscript.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Typical mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 viral transmission and replication in the airway epithelium cell
Figure 2
Figure 2. Possible biomolecular pathways through which obesity promotes the severe outcomes and mortality of COVID-19 disease condition
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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