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Review
. 2024 May 15;16(5):1880-1890.
doi: 10.62347/UHBM7298. eCollection 2024.

Role of obesity in lower mortality risk in sepsis: a meta-analysis of observational studies

Ye Lu  1 , Jing Ma  2 , Jiawei Ma  3   4 , Dandan Ji  3
Affiliations
Review

Role of obesity in lower mortality risk in sepsis: a meta-analysis of observational studies

Ye Lu et al. Am J Transl Res. .

Abstract

This meta-analysis aims to explore the correlation between obesity and mortality in patients with sepsis. Data were gathered from various sources, including PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and Embase (no language restrictions). Clinical studies, both retrospective and prospective ones, were selected to analyze mortality due to sepsis in patients with or without obesity. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was used to assess the quality of the studies included. In data synthesis, odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were meta-analyzed using the DerSimonian-Laird random-effects model, followed by sensitivity and heterogeneity analyses. Two cohort studies were included to investigate survival in inpatients with obesity and sepsis, with pooled analysis indicating a lowered mortality rate (OR=0.88; 95% CI: 0.81-0.95; I2=0.00%; P=0.000). This meta-analysis lends support to the obesity paradox, suggesting a reduced mortality from sepsis in obese patients. However, further prospective trials and research on mechanisms are needed to test this hypothesis.

Keywords: Obesity; meta-analysis; mortality; obesity paradox; sepsis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors claim no business or financial links that could be interpreted as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The mortality in sepsis patients with obesity.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Heterogeneity analysis.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Sensitivity analysis.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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