Impact of Obesity and Its Associated Comorbid Conditions on COVID-19 Presentation

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/m(2)), overweight (BMI >25–<30 kg/m(2)), and obese (BMI ≥30 kg/m(2)). 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 cholesterol, 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.