Obesity and COVID-19: What are the Consequences?

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

Abstract

Obesity is an increasing health problem all over the world. In combination with the current COVID-19 pandemic, this has turned into a massive challenge as individuals with overweight and obesity at all ages show a significant increase in their risk of getting severe COVID-19. Around 20% of all patients that were hospitalized for COVID-19 suffered from obesity alone, whereas obesity in combination with other metabolic comorbidities, such as type 2 diabetes and hypertension, account for up to 60% of all hospitalizations in relation to COVID-19. Therefore, it is of immense importance to put the spotlight on the high incidence of obesity present already in childhood both by changing the individual minds and by encouraging politicians and the whole society to commence preventive interventions for achieving a better nutrition for all social classes all over the world. In the current review, we aim to explain the different pathways and mechanisms that are responsible for the increased risk of severe COVID-19 in people with overweight and obesity. Furthermore, we discuss how the pandemic has led to weight gains in many people during lockdown. At the end, we discuss the importance of preventing such an interface between a non-communicable disease like obesity and a communicable disease like COVID-19 in the future.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)496-502
Number of pages7
JournalHormone and metabolic research = Hormon- und Stoffwechselforschung = Hormones et metabolisme
Volume54
Issue number8
Publication statusPublished - Aug 2022
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMedCentral PMC9427204
Scopus 85135768700

Keywords

Sustainable Development Goals

Keywords

  • COVID-19/epidemiology, Communicable Disease Control, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/epidemiology, Humans, Obesity/complications, Overweight, Pandemics/prevention & control