Metabolic syndrome and COVID-19: An update on the associated comorbidities and proposed therapies

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Many patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have comorbidities related to metabolic syndrome (MS) during the disease course. Its presence in different ethnicities and continents places MS as an important risk factor for COVID-19. Adequate understanding of the interplay between MS, COVID-19 and proposed therapies is required for optimum management of these patients. METHODS: We systematically searched the PubMed and Google Scholar databases until June 1st, 2020 and accessed the full text on COVID-19 and MS to prepare a narrative review on this topic. RESULTS: Patients with metabolic disorders like obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular and liver disease may face a higher risk of infection of COVID-19, greatly affecting the development and prognosis of the disease, being associated with significantly worse outcome in these patients. The proposed drugs that are in clinical trial for COVID-19 treatment must be carefully considered for clinical use, especially in patients with MS. CONCLUSION: MS is a risk factor influencing the progression and prognosis of COVID-2019. The drugs currently evaluated for the infection treatment are promising but need further studies to prove their efficacy and safety, due to the adverse effects may be exacerbated by combination therapy or due to viral infection. The development of a vaccine for immunization is still the best long-term solution.