They have shown that extreme obesity worsens the evolution of covid-19

2020/08/17 Galarraga Aiestaran, Ana - Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Berdintasuna
• Medikuntza
• Osasuna
• COVID-19

In the first wave of Pandemic, several international hospitals (Italy, UK, France, USA...) found that patients with obesity often evolved worse.

Since then, researchers have tried to understand the causes of this relationship and have shown that certain conditions related to obesity, such as diabetes, cardiovascular problems, chronic inflammation or respiratory difficulties, directly affect this evolution. In addition, this influence is even more pronounced in men, especially if they are of African, Caribbean or South Asian origin.

Now, in a study published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, it is stated that extreme obesity is a specific risk factor for dying from covid-19, especially for young people, under age 60 and men.

In women, extreme obesity is not a risk factor. According to researchers, the reason is that the distribution of fat is uneven at times. In fact, in men it accumulates in the viscera and in the belly, which is an increase in risk.

On the other hand, UK specialists have warned The Lancet about the risk of stigmatizing and blaming people with obesity. In fact, they have observed that, as a result, they tend to request help late, which exacerbates the disease. These people with extreme obesity are suffering other psychological and physical damage during the pandemic and have claimed that they must be taken into account.