Obesity as an aggravating factor of COVID-19 in hospitalized adults: An integrative review

Abstract

Objective: To identify, in scientific literature, the relationship of obesity as an aggravating risk factor for morbidity by COVID-19. Methods: This is a bibliographic and integrative literature review study, in Brazilian Portuguese, English and Spanish languages, through PICo strategy, in the PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase and VHL databases, held from May to June 2020. Primary articles conducted with adults, available in full, published during the period 2019 to 2020, in Brazilian Portuguese, English and Spanish were included. Case reports, clinical cases, dissertations, theses, the already selected in the search in another database and that did not answer the question of the search were excluded. Results: The selection resulted in nine studies. Four studies - 44.4% (E3, E5, E6 and E7) - presented the prevalence of obesity in adults hospitalized by COVID-19. Two studies - 22.2% (E6, E9) - associated obesity with the development of severe COVID-19. Three studies - 33.3% (E1, E4 and E7) - associated obesity with the need for mechanical ventilation. Three studies - 33.3% (E2, E4 and E8) - associated obesity with mortality due to COVID-19. Conclusion: Obesity is a chronic non-communicable disease, being a risk factor considered important for the worsening of COVID-19 disease, however, it is preventable, because healthy lifestyle habits can reduce the severe picture of COVID-19 infection.