Obesity-related conditions appear to worsen the effect of COVID-19; the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that people with heart coniditions and diabetes are at greater risk of COVID-19 complications.

New studies on the relation between COVID-19 & Obesity point to obesity in and of itself as the most significant risk factor, after only older age, for being hospitalized with Covid-19. Young adults with obesity appear to be at particular risk, studies show.

Furthermore, persons with obesity who become ill and require intensive care present challenges in patient management as it is more difficult to intubate patients with obesity, it can be more challenging to obtain diagnostic imaging (as there are weight limits on imaging machines), patients are more difficult to position and transport by nursing staff and, like pregnant patients in ICUs, they may not do well when prone.

The spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus is preventing people from getting adequate treatment for their obesity, whether it’s lifestyle modifications, medical treatment, or bariatric surgery. Furthermore, the pandemic and the resulting social distancing measures may be keeping patients from getting the right amount of physical activity and proper diets.

Bariatric Surgery has proven to be the most effective treatment for Obesity. If you need to address this issue and would like to have an online consultation with one of our bariatric surgeons, contact us andSources:

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.04.08.20057794v1

https://academic.oup.com/cid/advance-article/doi/10.1093/cid/ciaa415/5818333