Obesity is a risk factor for COVID-19 infection in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: Obesity is a global health hazard that has recently been linked to adverse clinical outcomes of COVID-19 infection. Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the obesity risk factors among hospitalized COVID-19 patients and their influence on the clinical outcomes of the disease Methods: This is a retrospective observational cohort study of COVID-19 patients admitted to one tertiary hospital in Saudi Arabia from May to July 2020. Patients’ demographics, comorbidities and clinical manifestations were collected from the medical records. The clinical outcomes were compared between patients with different categories of body mass index (BMI). Results: Out of 260 patients who were included in the study, 41.6% were obese. Compared to those patients with normal and overweight BMI, obese patients with COVID-19 were more likely to have hypertension, ischemic heart disease, chronic lung disease and heart failure. Pneumonia (81.1%), ARDS (80.8%), mechanical ventilation (80%), acute kidney injury (74.2%) and heart failure (86.7%) were more prevalent in patients who were either overweight or obese. More than 50% of the patients admitted to the intensive care unit were either overweight or obese, representing nearly 55% of the mortalities. On an average, the BMI of females (32.2 ± 8.3 kg/m²), was significantly higher than males (28.3 ± 5.1 kg/m²), (P<0.01) and with higher BMI, the chance of having hypertension increases by threefold (P<0.01). Conclusion: Obesity is very common among hospitalized patients with COVID-19, particularly females. Obese patients were more likely to have cardiovascular risk factors and adverse clinical outcomes. Keywords: COVID-19, Obesity, BMI, Risk factors, Outcome