Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx New York and other institutions published a retrospective study of 3,530 patients. They demonstrated obesity is an independent risk factor for worse outcomes in patients with COVID. Moreover, men with obesity have a stronger link to COVID mortality than women. And this is particularly likely when severe pneumonia and mechanical ventilation are present.
But This Varied According to the Class of Obesity
However, the strength of the relationship between male obesity and COVID mortality depends on the class of obesity concerned:
1… Overweight people have a body-mass index of 25.0 to 29.9
2… Class 1 obese people have a body-mass index of 30.0 to 34.9
3… While Class 2 obese people have a body-mass index of 35.0 to 39.9
4… And Class 3 obese people have a body-mass index of at least 40.0
The study team reports all genders have a greater all-cause mortality risk, if underweight with a body-mass index less than 18.5. But a male population with Class 2 and Class 3 obesity was more likely to have the COVID mortality relationship. Why is this so, we wondered.
Why Is COVID Mortality Greater with Men with Obesity
Apparently it’s an established fact, although we did not know that fat in the central and abdominal region has greater inflammatory properties. And it may also have negative impacts on lung function, both of which aggravate COVID symptoms.
The researchers already knew obese men were more likely than women to accumulate fat in those regions. However, their study may be the first one to demonstrate the link through a retrospective study of COVID patient records.
The Miami Herald reported on May 11, 2021 that CDC found obesity contributed to 30% of COVID hospitalizations through to November 2020. We hope people suffering obesity and their families find this information helpful. And that it encourages them to maintain their precautions at this time.
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Preview Image: Body Mass Index Chart
