Impact of obesity and its associated comorbid conditions on COVID-19 presentation

Abstract

Background: There is great variability in clinical presentation of COVID-19 worldwide. The current study evaluated the impact of obesity and its related complications on the course of COVID-19 in Egyptian patients. Methods: We included 230 COVID-19 Egyptian patients from Tanta City. According to their body-mass index (BMI), patient were divided into three groups: normal weight (BMI <25 kg/ m2), overweight (BMI >25–<30 kg/m2), and obese (BMI ≥30 kg/m2). Patients’ glycemic status, lipid profile, and serum levels of acute-phase reactants were assessed. The number of patients receiving intensive care and the number of deaths in each group were counted. Results: Mean values of random blood sugar, serum cholesterol, triglycerides, serum ferritin, erythrocyte-sedimentation rate, LDH, CRP, D-dimer levels, and blood pressure were significantly higher in obese patients (165.6, 129.5, 105, 1,873, 26, 403, 56.45, 977.16 and 142/87, respectively) than in normal-weight (97.2, 103.5, 70.4, 479, 17.4, 252, 23.2, 612.4, and 118.6/76.8, respectively) and overweight patients (111.4, 106.3, 78.13, 491.3, 19.8, 269.27, 25.42, 618.4, and 120.3/79.3, respectively). Lymphopenia was also significantly predominant in the obese group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that elevated serum triglycerides, total cholesterol, low density–lipoprotein choles-terol, blood pressure, ferritin, CRP, and low relative lymphocyte count were significant risk factors in obese COVID-19 patients. Conclusion: Obesity and its related complications increase the risk of presenting a more severe form of COVID-19 in Egyptian patients.