Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Observational Study
. 2025 Jan;48(1):173-189.
doi: 10.1007/s40618-024-02407-1. Epub 2024 Jun 10.

The EPICOVID19-BS study: a web-based epidemiological survey in bariatric patients

F Prinelli  1 , F Adorni  2 , A Giovanelli  3 , M Ravelli  3 , S Ceresoli  3 , C Asteria  3
Affiliations
Observational Study

The EPICOVID19-BS study: a web-based epidemiological survey in bariatric patients

F Prinelli et al. J Endocrinol Invest. 2025 Jan.

Abstract

Purpose: To assess the occurrence and severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection/COVID-19, frequency of symptoms, clinical manifestations and behaviours in a sample of patients undergoing bariatric surgery (BS).

Methods: The EPICOVID19-BS is an observational cross-sectional study conducted in Italy during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (September 2021-February 2022). Patients with severe/extreme obesity undergoing BS were asked to complete an online multiple-choice questionnaire and to provide additional clinical information and blood biochemistry. Positive COVID-19 cases were defined by the combination of positive nasopharyngeal swab test results and/or positive serological test results. Sociodemographic, clinical and behavioural characteristics were compared between positive and negative COVID-19 cases.

Results: A total of 745 participants were enrolled (mean age 44.5 ± 10.5 years SD, 78% female). The proportion of positive COVID-19 cases was 20.4%. They were more likely to be health care workers, to have close contacts with confirmed cases, to use anti-inflammatory drugs, to have immune system disorders, to have previous CMV infection, to have lower cholesterol levels and to have less metabolic syndrome than negative cases. Infected participants significantly increased their use of national health resources for minor health problems. The majority of participants experienced flu-like symptoms and taste and smell disturbances. Only 9.6% were hospitalised and none required intubation.

Conclusions: Our results seem to support the evidence that patients undergoing BS have a low rate of severe SARS-CoV2. Further longitudinal studies in multiple obesity treatment centres are needed to more effectively monitor and control obesity in this specific population.

Keywords: Bariatric surgery; COVID-19; Observational cross-sectional study; SARS-CoV-2; Severe obesity.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest. Ethical issues and confidentiality of the data: All data were handled and stored in accordance with the European General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR) ( https://gdprinfo.eu/ ). Clinical data were collected by the IRCCS in a pseudonymized manner: each patient was assigned a unique and personal code, which was used to access the questionnaire. The code was used as an identification key to link the information collected through the questionnaires with the additional clinical tests. The clinical information was transferred to the ITB-CNR in a password-protected file. The file server was firewalled within the CNR intranet in a location inaccessible to unauthorised personnel. Data transfer was protected by an encryption/decryption policy and password protection. In the final dataset, a unique key identified each subject to ensure anonymity. Data security was ensured by automatic backups. The EPICOVID19-BS study protocol was conducted in accordance with the guidelines laid down in the Declaration of Helsinki, as revised in 2013, and all procedures were approved by the Ethics Committee of the San Raffaele Hospital of Milan, IRCCS (95/INT/2021,12/5/2021). Participants were asked to give their informed consent the first time they accessed the web-based platform. Participants could only start the questionnaire after giving their consent. Participation was voluntary and no compensation was given to respondents. Informed consent statement: When participants first accessed the web-based platform, they were informed of the purpose of the study, the data to be collected, and the methods of storage, and they filled in the informed consent form. Institutional review board statement: The EPICOVID19-BS study protocol was conducted in accordance with the guidelines laid down in the Declaration of Helsinki, as revised in 2013, and all procedures were approved by the Ethics Committee of the San Raffaele Hospital of Milan, IRCCS (protocol n. 95/INT/2021,12/5/2021). Data were handled and stored in accordance with the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR) 2016/679, and data transfer was safeguarded by encrypting/decrypting and password protection.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Distribution of symptoms by COVID-19 (n = 745)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Positive Nasopharyngeal Swab, hospitalizations and drugs (n = 126)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Yang Y, Song Y, Hou D (2023) Obesity and COVID-19 pandemics: epidemiology, mechanisms, and management. Metab Syndr Obes. 16:4147–4156 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Yang J, Tian C, Chen Y et al (2021) Obesity aggravates COVID-19: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis. J Med Virol 93(5):2662–2674 - PMC - PubMed
    1. https://www.worldobesity.org/resources/resource-library/covid-19-and-obe.... Accessed 31 Jan 2024
    1. Azzolino D, Cesari M (2020) Obesity and COVID-19. Front Endocrinol 11:581356 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ortiz-Bruizela E et al (2020) Clinical and epidemiological characteristics of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in a tertiary care center in Mexico City: a prospective cohort study. Rev Invest Clín 72(3):165–177 - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources