Severe COVID-19 courses from high body weight?
What role does weight play in developing severe complications from COVID-19 and can weight loss help prevent severe COVID-19 courses? Experts from the Cleveland Clinic (USA) tried to answer these questions in a recent study. According to their results, weight problems play a role in the occurrence of serious complications from COVID-19 that should not be underestimated, and weight loss can significantly reduce the risk of such complications in people with obesity.
In the study, the Cleveland Clinic research team showed that previous weight loss from bariatric surgery in people with obesity reduced the risk of serious complications from COVID-19 by 60 percent. The results of the study were published in the English-language journal “JAMA Surgery“Published.
Obesity risk factor for severe COVID-19 courses
Numerous studies have already shown that obesity is an important risk factor for the development of serious illnesses due to infection with SARS-CoV-2, according to the experts. Obesity weakens the immune system, leads to a chronic inflammatory state and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, blood clots and lung diseases. According to the researchers, these diseases can cause COVID-19 to worsen.
The current study should now examine whether successful weight reduction in people with obesity before developing COVID-19 can reduce the risk of severe disease, explains the team.
Protection from severe consequences of bariatric surgery
“The research shows that obesity patients who achieved significant and sustained weight loss through bariatric surgery prior to contracting COVID-19 reduced their risk of serious illness by 60 percent,” explains study author Dr. Ali Aminian of the Cleveland Clinic in one Press release.
Obesity Modifiable Risk Factor for COVID-19
According to the doctor, the study results suggest that obesity is a modifiable risk factor for COVID-19, which can be improved through successful weight loss.
The study examined 20,212 adults with a median BMI (body mass index). Among them, a group of 5,053 people had received gastric bypass (Roux-en-Y gastric bypass) or gastric reduction (sleeve gastrectomy) for weight loss between 2004 and 2017. The remaining 15,159 people without surgery for weight loss served as a comparison group.
First of all, it should be noted that compared to participants from the group without surgery, people who had undergone bariatric surgery lost 19 percent more body weight before March 1, 2020, the researchers report.
Following the COVID-19 outbreak, the team investigated four COVID-19-related events. These included the rate of SARS-CoV-2 infection, hospital stays, need for additional oxygen, and serious illness (defined as a combination of admission to the intensive care unit, need for mechanical ventilation, or death).
Better protection thanks to lower weight
The professionals found that the rate of SARS-CoV-2 infections was similar in the two groups (9.1 percent in the surgical and 8.7 percent in the nonsurgical group). But the participants from the group who had achieved surgical weight loss showed significantly fewer complications in the course of COVID-19.
Effects of Weight Loss Through Surgery
People who had previously been operated on for weight loss had a 49 percent lower risk of hospitalization and a 63 percent lower risk of needing additional oxygen, the researchers report. They also showed a 60 percent lower risk of developing a severe course of COVID-19.
The underlying mechanical mechanisms are not known, but according to the experts, the data suggest that people who had undergone surgery to lose weight were healthier at the time of infection with SARS-CoV-2, which then turned into healthier reflected better clinical results.
“The striking results of the current study show that the health consequences of obesity in patients with COVID-19 are reversible,” explains study author Dr. Steven Nissen from the Cleveland Clinic. For example, a focus on weight loss in the public health strategy could mitigate the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and future outbreaks or similar infectious diseases.
The findings are particularly relevant against the background that many people in the world suffer from weight problems or have already developed obesity, as weight loss appears to effectively protect these people from serious illness from COVID-19, the researchers sum up. (as)
Author and source information
This text complies with the requirements of specialist medical literature, medical guidelines and current studies and has been checked by medical professionals.
Sources:
- Ali Aminian, Chao Tu, Alex Milinovich, Kathy E. Wolski, Michael W. Kattan, et al.: Association of Weight Loss Achieved Through Metabolic Surgery With Risk and Severity of COVID-19 Infection; in JAMA Surgery (veröffentlicht 29.12.2021), JAMA Surgery
- Cleveland Clinic: Association of Weight Loss Achieved Through Metabolic Surgery With Risk and Severity of COVID-19 Infection (veröffentlicht 29.12.2021), Cleveland Clinic
Important NOTE:
This article is for general guidance only and is not intended to be used for self-diagnosis or self-treatment. He can not substitute a visit at the doctor.
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