SHARES
“Obesity and Covid-19 is dangerous! I’ve heard that COVID-19 affects people with high blood pressure and diabetes or obesity more severely. Risk of hospitalisation doubles, ICU admission up by 74% and death risk rises by 50%! My family members are obese and our family doctor has warned that we may end up having high blood pressure, high blood sugar and even heart problems too! What if I’m obese but do not have high blood pressure and diabetes, will I be at similar higher risk?” worries Johnny, 41 about obesity and COVID-19.
Matter of fact, being overweight and obese increase complication risks for COVID-19 very significantly. In a French study on 124 infected patients in ICU, about half of the patients are in this high risk category: obesity and Covid-19. Indeed obesity, together with its accompanying metabolic syndrome of high blood pressure, diabetes, heart and kidney disease, can put us at significantly higher risk of a severe life threatening infection with COVID-19.
Implication of COVID-19 Measures On Obesity
Body weight issue has been a major health concern over the past few decades. It only gets worse during this pandemic lockdown. By virtue of the fact that we stay home most of the time, we tend to move and exercise less. Also, we are more likely to go for poorer food choice such as processed and canned food to avoid shopping at the marketplace frequently. Even though these measures are good for preventing the spread of COVID-19, if we are not careful, we can harm our health ending up with metabolic diseases.
Furthermore, social distancing also affects many group support get togethers and therapy such as weight loss programme. The sessions and environment may not be as conducive when being conducted online as compared to group meetings.
Photo by Stella Tate from Flickr
The Link Between Obesity and COVID-19
Researchers are noticing the plausible physiological link between obesity and COVID-19. Notably, the COVID-19 virus gains entry into the human body by binding to ACE2 receptors found on human lung surfaces. At the same time, people with metabolic disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, sleep apnoea, heart and kidney diseases have higher number of these receptors on their lungs, including those who are overweight and obese.
These receptors play an important role in regulating the body’s blood pressure. Therefore, it is possible that people with higher number of these receptors can become easy target for the virus causing COVID-19 pandemic. This may also explain why people with existing medical conditions get more severe infections with COVID-19. However, a large part about this novel virus still remains unknown and current evidence is inconclusive.
Another key observation is that about 87% of obese patients with COVID-19 require ventilator breathing support. This group of patients also face difficulty with intubation. Moreover, other difficulties include transportation and positioning problem and diagnostic imaging uncertainty.
Furthermore, researchers also warn that vaccination could be less effective in obese people. The basis for this concern is demonstrated by the fact that flu vaccines do not work well in people with higher body mass index (BMI) beyond 30.
Photo by Akruti Mahajan from Flickr
More Stringent Protection If We Are at Risk
For people who are obese or have existing medical conditions, prevention against COVID-19 is always a better cure. On top of social distancing and wearing a mask when going out, it is advisable to avoid close contact with others through self isolation. This is also true for elderly people and those with weaker immune system such as HIV/AIDS patients and organ transplant recipients. Wash your hands often and never touch your nose, mouth and eyes with unwashed hands even at home!
Further, make sure to exercise regularly and eat a balanced diet to prevent metabolic disease as well as lower your risk for COVID-19. A simple tip is to eat everything in moderation. Likewise, start exercising now even if its only 5-10 minutes of light activities a day. The key lies in consistency. As your stamina slowly increases and exercising becomes part of your daily routine, you would be amazed by what you are capable of.
Conclusion
COVID-19 poses significant danger towards people who are obese with or without metabolic disease such as high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney and heart disease. Protect yourself by practising stringent preventive measures such as social distancing, self isolation, wearing a mask, and maintaining hand hygiene.
References:
1. Jaffe L, Nadolsky K. COVID-19 and obesity: how to prepare for the coronavirus with obesity [Internet]. Remedy Health Media. 2020. (Available from: https://www.endocrineweb.com/conditions/obesity/covid-19-obesity; last updated on 2020 April 4; last accessed on 2020 Sept 15)
2. Coronavirus (COVID-19) and obesity [Internet]. World Obesity Foundation. 2019. (Available from: https://www.worldobesity.org/news/statement-coronavirus-covid-19-obesity; last accessed on 2020 Sept 15)
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by Chang Xian
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