ORLANDO, Fla. – Since the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention knew those considered obese were at risk for contracting serious illness after being infected with COVID-19. A new study from the agency reveals a majority of adults who have been hospitalized, needed a ventilator or died from the virus have been overweight or obese.
The study, published Monday, followed 148,494 adults with the virus. Researchers found that 78% of patients who were admitted to the hospital, hooked up to a ventilator or ultimately died from COVID-19 had a body mass index that was considered beyond the threshold of a healthy weight greater than 25.
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The CDC collected its data last year from March through December. Researchers analyzed patient information across 800 regions in a hospital-based, all-payer database. All patients were at least 18 years old, according to researchers.
Of the adults with COVID-19, 71,491 patients were hospitalized with the virus. The study reveals of those who were admitted, nearly 28% were considered overweight and around half were obese.
Health officials say a BMI under 25 is considered healthy, whereas anything above that number is considered overweight. The threshold for obesity is when a BMI surpasses 30.
The CDC said patients with the lowest risk of becoming severely ill from the virus had what’s called a healthy BMI typically under 25.
“Obesity was a risk factor for both hospitalization and death, exhibiting a dose-response relationship with increasing BMI category,” the study said, also noting the risk of severe illness sharply increased as BMIs rose, particularly among people 65 and older.
However, the study had limitations, the CDC said.
Risk estimates outlined in the study for serious cases of coronavirus were measured only among adults who received care at a hospital. The CDC said its estimates might differ from the risk among all adults with the virus. The agency also points to its data as a limitation, as only patients with reported height and weight information were included in the report.
The agency adds that obesity is a disease often linked to impaired immune function and decreased lung capacity, making it more likely for someone who is considered obese to have a severe case of the virus.
“These results highlight the need to promote and support a healthy BMI, which might be especially important for populations disproportionately affected by obesity, particularly Hispanic or Latino and non-Hispanic Black adults and persons from low-income households,” researchers said in the study. “(These) are populations who have a higher prevalence of obesity and are more likely to have worse outcomes from COVID-19 compared with other populations.”