New studies show a potential link between body weight and the risk of severe COVID-19, especially for young adults.India Bloom

London: The first large study reporting the effect of body weight on the risk of worse outcomes from COVID-19 across the full range of the Body Mass Index (BMI) was published today in the Journal of Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology.

Based on more than 6.9 million people living in the UK, this study included data from more than 20,000 COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized or died during the first wave and was at risk of worse consequences from COVID-19. BMI above 23 kg / m2 is considered to be in the healthy range.

The risk of hospitalization increased by 5% with each additional unit of BMI, and the risk of admission to the ICU increased by 10% with each additional unit. People with low weight (BMI <18.5) also had worse COVID-19 results.

The effect of overweight on the risk of severe COVID-19 is greatest in adolescents aged 20-39 years, decreases after age 60, and an increase in BMI is associated with severe COVID-19 in older people. It had little impact on the risk. 80 years (increased risk of hospitalization per BMI unit: 20-39 years, 9%; 40-59 years, 8%; 60-79 years, 4%; 80-100 years 1%).

However, the overall incidence of severe COVID-19 in people aged 20-39 was lower than in all other age groups (hospitalization: 20-39, 922, 40-59, 2,845). , 60-79 years, 5058; 80 years and over, 4678).

Dr. Carmen Piernas, lead author of research at the University of Oxford’s Nafield Primary Care and Health Sciences Department (UK), said: As BMI increases, the risk rises sharply. It also shows that the risk associated with overweight is greatest in people under the age of 40, and that weight has little or no effect on the likelihood of developing severe COVID-19 after age 80. These findings suggest that vaccination policies should prioritize obese people. Especially now, vaccines are being deployed to younger age groups. “

Previous studies have reported that obesity after SARS-CoV-2 virus infection is associated with more severe outcomes, which affects the effect of overweight on COVID-19 outcomes across the full range of BMI. This is the first study to investigate.

It is based on anonymous health records from 6,910,685 community-based patients in the QResearch database of electronic patient health records collected regularly in the United Kingdom.

All participants included in the study were over 20 years of age and had at least one BMI measurement in their records. The average BMI for the entire study group was 26.8 kg / m2.

The researchers analyzed the records from January 24 to April 30, 2020 to see the results associated with severe COVID-19 disease.

During the study, they found that 13,503 patients were hospitalized with COVID-19, 1,602 patients required intensive care unit (ICU) treatment, and 5,479 died. ..

Most people with severe COVID-19 were over 60 years of age (72.1% of hospitalized, 9,736 / 13,503; 55.7% of ICU hospitalizations, 892/1602; 92.5% of deaths, 5,069 / 5,479).

The risk of serious outcomes from COVID-19 gradually increases when BMI exceeds 23 kg / m2, which includes other existing types of diabetes (hospitalization as a percentage of the population: healthy body weight BMI 18.5-). It had nothing to do with my health. <25: 0.1% [3,655/2,713,189]Overweight BMI25- <30：0.2％ [4,593/2,306,897]; クラス1肥満BMI30-34.9：0.3％ [2,823/1,072,777]; クラス2および3の肥満BMI> 35: 0.3% [2,070/608,335]).

The risk associated with high BMI was greater in blacks compared to whites (increased risk of hospitalization per BMI unit: blacks, 7% vs. 4% whites) [Black 1,081/254,507 patients vs white 8780/4,771,657 patients]Increased risk of death: 8% black vs. 4% white [Black 364/254,507 patients vs white 3,796/4,771,657 patients]). There was no evidence that the risks of other ethnic groups differed from those of whites.

Professor Paul Aveyard of the Nuffield Primary Care Health Sciences Department (UK) at Oxford University said: Very plausible, and will certainly bring other health benefits. Weight loss is difficult, and recent NHS investments to improve access to weight management programs have reduced the severity of COVID-19 at the population level, reducing pressure on the healthcare system, while at the same time. It may help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and the like. cancer. “

The authors note that their research has some limitations. Analysis of the effects of BMI can be limited by a smaller sample of people with recent BMI measurements. However, if researchers excluded BMI measurements that were more than a year old at the start of the study period, the findings did not change.

Professor Krishnan Bascalan, who was not involved in the study of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in the United Kingdom, said in a linked comment: Whether people outside the healthy BMI range (18, 5–24, 9 kg / m2) are at increased risk of sequalae after COVID-19. More careful epidemiological studies of these and other new questions will signal an ongoing public health response to this new disease that is likely to remain here. “