Long‐term effects of obesity on COVID‐19 patients discharged from hospital

INTRODUCTION: Obesity has been reported as a risk factor for COVID‐19 prognosis. However, the long‐term effects of obesity on patients discharged from the hospital are unclear, and the present study aims to address this issue. METHODS: A cohort study was conducted using data from patients diagnosed with COVID‐19 who were discharged from Wuhan Union Hospital between February 20, 2020, and March 20, 2020. The 118 patients with COVID‐19 were divided into the non‐obesity group and the obesity group according to their body mass index (BMI). All the patients were invited to fill out a series of scales to assess cardiopulmonary function. Data on population baseline characteristics, clinical manifestations, laboratory examinations, chest computed tomography (CT), and lung function were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: The clinical manifestations and pathological changes on CT images of obese patients were more serious after discharge than those of non‐obese patients. In addition, we found significant abnormalities in metabolic indicators such as blood lipids, uric acid, and liver function in obese patients. Most importantly, the antibody titer of COVID‐19 obese patients was inversely correlated with BMI. CONCLUSION: In the long term, obesity affects clinical manifestations, immune function and endocrine metabolism in patients discharged after recovering from COVID‐19.