ARTICLE: Obesity could shift severe COVID-19 disease to younger ages Obesity could shift severe COVID-19 disease to younger ages
AUTHORS: David A Kass, Priya Duggal, Oscar Cingolani
JOURNAL: Lancet. 2020 May 16;395(10236):1544-1545. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)31024-2. Epub 2020 May 4.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 was first reported in China in late December, 2019, and has since evolved into a global pandemic. As of April 29, 2020, COVID-19 has been confirmed in more than 3 million individuals in 185 countries and regions, with an overall mortality rate of more than 6%.
Severe disease involves bilateral interstitial pneumonia requiring intensive care unit (ICU) ventilatory support and can evolve into adult respiratory distress syndrome with high mortality. The largest study of 1591 ICU patients from Italy reported a median age of 63 years, with only 203 patients (13%) younger than 51 years.
Common comorbidities are hypertension, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and, more rarely (42 [4%] of 1043), obstructive pulmonary disease. Similar data have been reported from China.
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Obesity a Major Risk Factor for COVID-19 Hospitalization from the Hopkins Hub
