Obesity: a risk factor that increases the severity of COVID-19

Authors

Keywords:

COVID-19, obesity, risk factor, public health

Abstract

Introduction: The COVID-19 disease originated in China at the end of 2019 was declared a pandemic in early March 2020 by the World Health Organization, and it is caused by SARS-CoV-2. It is characterized by its high contagion capacity, having a large number of asymptomatic people at the time of diagnosis and, above all, by being associated with risk factors that can lead to a poor prognosis of the disease like obesity.

Objective: Determine the mechanisms of association of obesity with clinical severity in patients with COVID-19.

Methods: An integrative review of researches published between January 1 and June 15, 2020 was conducted. For this, the search engines Google Scholar and PubMed were used. 581 studies were retrieved and 5 were selected for analysis.

Conclusion: Obesity is a risk factor that increases clinical severity in patients with COVID-19, a situation that reveals its worrying increase worldwide, therefore, effective strategies must be established to reverse the prevalence of this condition, because this vulnerable population would be permanently and dangerously exposed to other pandemics that might occur.

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Author Biographies

Palmira Pollera, Facultad de Agropecuaria y Nutrición. Lima, Perú.

Bachiller en Nutrición Humana. Universidad Nacional de Educación “Enrique Guzmán y Valle”, Facultad de Agropecuaria y Nutrición. Lima, Perú.

 

 

Roberto Alvarez Sintes, Minsap, Dirección Nacional de Docencia. La Habana

Asesor de la Dirección Nacional de Docencia del MINSAP

Published

2022-08-27

How to Cite

1.
Pollera P, Alvarez Sintes R. Obesity: a risk factor that increases the severity of COVID-19. Rev Cubana Salud Pública [Internet]. 2022 Aug. 27 [cited 2025 Feb. 20];48. Available from: https://revsaludpublica.sld.cu/index.php/spu/article/view/2660