A recent observational study by investigators at the Cleveland Clinic found that individuals with moderately or severely obese who have recovered from infection with COVID-19 are at greater risk of long-term complications.
The results of the study were published in the journal Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism.
“To the best of our knowledge, this current study suggests for the first time that patients with moderate to severe obesity are at greater risk of developing long-term complications from COVID-19 beyond the acute phase,” said Ali Aminian, director of the Bariatric & Clinic Cleveland Clinic. Metabolic Institute and chief researcher said.
For the observational study, the research team looked at 3 indicators of possible long-term complications of COVID-19, including hospitalization, mortality, and the need for diagnostic medical tests, from a registry of patients who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection within the Cleveland Clinic’s healthcare system in a period of five months.
The study enrolled 2,839 patients who did not need to be admitted to the intensive care unit and who survived the acute phase of COVID-19.
They then compared the results in 5 patient groups based on their body mass index (BMI). The groups were 18.5-24.9 (normal), 25-29.9 (overweight), 30-34.9 (light obesity), 35-39.9 (moderate obesity), and 40 or more (severe obesity) .
The results of the study showed that 44% of the study participants had to be hospitalized and 1% died during a 10-month follow-up. Compared to people with a normal BMI, those with moderate obesity were 28% more likely to be hospitalized and those with severe obesity were 30% more likely to be hospitalized.
In addition, individuals with a BMI of 35 or greater had a significantly higher need for diagnostic tests to assess heart, lung, vascular, kidney, gastrointestinal, and mental health problems.
“The observations from this study may be explained by the underlying mechanisms at work in obese patients, the study said. “These conditions can lead to poor outcomes in the acute phase of COVID-19 in obese patients and could potentially lead to an increased risk of long-term complications of COVID-19 in this patient population.”
