Association of Body Mass Index With Severity and Outcome of COVID-19

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2, has presented a global health challenge. Older people and patients with underlying conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and obesity are more susceptible to severe disease outcomes. Obesity or high body mass (BMI) index is a significant r...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Negar Javadinasab, Ozra Akha, Narges Mirzaei Ilali, Zohreh Rezaeian, Zahra Hosseini-khah
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences and Health Services 2023-11-01
Series:Research in Molecular Medicine
Subjects:
Online Access:http://rmm.mazums.ac.ir/article-1-537-en.pdf
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849314173809328128
author Negar Javadinasab
Ozra Akha
Narges Mirzaei Ilali
Zohreh Rezaeian
Zahra Hosseini-khah
author_facet Negar Javadinasab
Ozra Akha
Narges Mirzaei Ilali
Zohreh Rezaeian
Zahra Hosseini-khah
author_sort Negar Javadinasab
collection DOAJ
description Background: The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2, has presented a global health challenge. Older people and patients with underlying conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and obesity are more susceptible to severe disease outcomes. Obesity or high body mass (BMI) index is a significant risk factor for creating diabetes and plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of COVID-19 infection. Obesity has been shown to increase vulnerability to infections, making it a significant risk factor for COVID-19. This study aims to investigate the relationship between BMI and COVID-19 severity and outcomes in patients with and without diabetes. Materials and Methods: This case-control study was conducted on 400 patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection, referred to teaching hospitals in Sari City, Iran, during April and May 2019. The study population consisted of 192 diabetic patients (case group) and 208 non-diabetic individuals (control group), matched for age and sex. Participants’ data, including demographics, medical history, laboratory findings, and disease progression details, were collected using a comprehensive questionnaire. According to CDC criteria, COVID-19 disease severity was defined as mild, moderate, and severe. The relationship between BMI and COVID-19 severity was compared between the diabetic and non-diabetic groups. Results: This study was conducted on 192 diabetic and 208 non-diabetic COVID-19 patients with an average age of 62.85±0.88 and 53.21±1.18 years, respectively. The average BMI in the diabetic group was 28.68±0.4, whereas it was 26.94±0.31 (P=0.001) in the non-diabetic group. There was a statistically significant difference in the severity of COVID-19 infection between diabetic and non-diabetic patients (P=0.008). The results showed a statistically significant difference in disease severity based on BMI in the diabetic group (P=0.02). Significant differences were observed in the need for mechanical ventilation (P=0.000) and mortality in people with diabetes compared to nondiabetics. A significant association was observed between BMI and ICU admission in both diabetic (P=0.001) and non-diabetic (P=0.000) groups. Conclusion: The study concluded that BMI may be a significant risk factor for severe COVID-19 outcomes, particularly among people with diabetes. This finding emphasizes the importance of BMI in disease prevention and control strategies, especially for populations with underlying conditions like diabetes.
format Article
id doaj-art-10b3032a93df4d8fa9b06c06eaa925e6
institution Kabale University
issn 2322-1348
2322-133X
language English
publishDate 2023-11-01
publisher Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences and Health Services
record_format Article
series Research in Molecular Medicine
spelling doaj-art-10b3032a93df4d8fa9b06c06eaa925e62025-08-20T03:52:32ZengMazandaran University of Medical Sciences and Health ServicesResearch in Molecular Medicine2322-13482322-133X2023-11-01113177186Association of Body Mass Index With Severity and Outcome of COVID-19Negar Javadinasab0Ozra Akha1Narges Mirzaei Ilali2Zohreh Rezaeian3Zahra Hosseini-khah4 Diabetes Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran. Diabetes Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran. Diabetes Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran. Diabetes Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran. Diabetes Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2, has presented a global health challenge. Older people and patients with underlying conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and obesity are more susceptible to severe disease outcomes. Obesity or high body mass (BMI) index is a significant risk factor for creating diabetes and plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of COVID-19 infection. Obesity has been shown to increase vulnerability to infections, making it a significant risk factor for COVID-19. This study aims to investigate the relationship between BMI and COVID-19 severity and outcomes in patients with and without diabetes. Materials and Methods: This case-control study was conducted on 400 patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection, referred to teaching hospitals in Sari City, Iran, during April and May 2019. The study population consisted of 192 diabetic patients (case group) and 208 non-diabetic individuals (control group), matched for age and sex. Participants’ data, including demographics, medical history, laboratory findings, and disease progression details, were collected using a comprehensive questionnaire. According to CDC criteria, COVID-19 disease severity was defined as mild, moderate, and severe. The relationship between BMI and COVID-19 severity was compared between the diabetic and non-diabetic groups. Results: This study was conducted on 192 diabetic and 208 non-diabetic COVID-19 patients with an average age of 62.85±0.88 and 53.21±1.18 years, respectively. The average BMI in the diabetic group was 28.68±0.4, whereas it was 26.94±0.31 (P=0.001) in the non-diabetic group. There was a statistically significant difference in the severity of COVID-19 infection between diabetic and non-diabetic patients (P=0.008). The results showed a statistically significant difference in disease severity based on BMI in the diabetic group (P=0.02). Significant differences were observed in the need for mechanical ventilation (P=0.000) and mortality in people with diabetes compared to nondiabetics. A significant association was observed between BMI and ICU admission in both diabetic (P=0.001) and non-diabetic (P=0.000) groups. Conclusion: The study concluded that BMI may be a significant risk factor for severe COVID-19 outcomes, particularly among people with diabetes. This finding emphasizes the importance of BMI in disease prevention and control strategies, especially for populations with underlying conditions like diabetes.http://rmm.mazums.ac.ir/article-1-537-en.pdfsars-cov-2covid-19severityoutcomebody mass index (bmi)diabetes mellitus
spellingShingle Negar Javadinasab
Ozra Akha
Narges Mirzaei Ilali
Zohreh Rezaeian
Zahra Hosseini-khah
Association of Body Mass Index With Severity and Outcome of COVID-19
Research in Molecular Medicine
sars-cov-2
covid-19
severity
outcome
body mass index (bmi)
diabetes mellitus
title Association of Body Mass Index With Severity and Outcome of COVID-19
title_full Association of Body Mass Index With Severity and Outcome of COVID-19
title_fullStr Association of Body Mass Index With Severity and Outcome of COVID-19
title_full_unstemmed Association of Body Mass Index With Severity and Outcome of COVID-19
title_short Association of Body Mass Index With Severity and Outcome of COVID-19
title_sort association of body mass index with severity and outcome of covid 19
topic sars-cov-2
covid-19
severity
outcome
body mass index (bmi)
diabetes mellitus
url http://rmm.mazums.ac.ir/article-1-537-en.pdf
work_keys_str_mv AT negarjavadinasab associationofbodymassindexwithseverityandoutcomeofcovid19
AT ozraakha associationofbodymassindexwithseverityandoutcomeofcovid19
AT nargesmirzaeiilali associationofbodymassindexwithseverityandoutcomeofcovid19
AT zohrehrezaeian associationofbodymassindexwithseverityandoutcomeofcovid19
AT zahrahosseinikhah associationofbodymassindexwithseverityandoutcomeofcovid19