Factors Associated with Increased Morbidity and Mortality of Obese and Overweight COVID-19 Patients
Open Access
- 9 September 2020
- Vol. 9 (9), 280
- https://doi.org/10.3390/biology9090280
Abstract
Overweight and obesity are defined as an unnecessary accumulation of fat, which poses a risk to health. It is a well-identified risk factor for increased mortality due to heightened rates of heart disease, certain cancers, musculoskeletal disorders, and bacterial, protozoan and viral infections. The increasing prevalence of obesity is of concern, as conventional pathogenesis may indeed be increased in obese hosts rather than healthy hosts, especially during this COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 is a new disease and we do not have the luxury of cumulative data. Obesity activates the development of gene induced hypoxia and adipogenesis in obese animals. Several factors can influence obesity, for example, stress can increase the body weight by allowing people to consume high amounts of food with a higher propensity to consume palatable food. Obesity is a risk factor for the development of immune-mediated and some inflammatory-mediated diseases, including atherosclerosis and psoriasis, leading to a dampened immune response to infectious agents, leading to weaker post-infection impacts. Moreover, the obese host creates a special microenvironment for disease pathogenesis, marked by persistent low-grade inflammation. Therefore, it is advisable to sustain healthy eating habits by increasing the consumption of various plant-based and low-fat foods to protect our bodies and decrease the risk of infectious diseases, especially COVID-19.This publication has 155 references indexed in Scilit:
- Leptin Mediates the Pathogenesis of Severe 2009 Pandemic Influenza A(H1N1) Infection Associated With Cytokine Dysregulation in Mice With Diet-Induced ObesityThe Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2013
- Impaired Wound Healing Predisposes Obese Mice to Severe Influenza Virus InfectionThe Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2011
- Obesity is associated with impaired immune response to influenza vaccination in humansInternational Journal of Obesity, 2011
- Obese mice have increased morbidity and mortality compared to non-obese mice during infection with the 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza virusInfluenza and Other Respiratory Viruses, 2011
- Adipokines in inflammation and metabolic diseaseNature Reviews Immunology, 2011
- Inflammation, a Link between Obesity and Cardiovascular DiseaseMediators of Inflammation, 2010
- Acute effect of infection by adipogenic human adenovirus Ad36Archiv für die gesamte Virusforschung, 2008
- The Pathology of Influenza Virus InfectionsAnnual review of pathology, 2008
- Time Lines of Infection and Disease in Human Influenza: A Review of Volunteer Challenge StudiesAmerican Journal of Epidemiology, 2008
- An obesity-associated gut microbiome with increased capacity for energy harvestNature, 2006