COVID‐19 Rise in Younger Adults with Obesity: Visceral Adiposity Can Predict the Risk

Iacobellis, Gianluca; Malavazos, Alexis Elias; Ferreira, Tanira

doi:10.1002/oby.22951

Cited by 34 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 5 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…So far, studies investigating the role of body fat distribution on the severity and susceptibility of COVID-19 are scarce. Few observational studies investigated the association between visceral fat and COVID-19 disease severity and complications and suggested that abdominal fat is related to disease severity 29-33 . For example, in their proof-of-concept study including 30 patients with COVID-19 Petersen et al suggested that visceral fat and upper abdominal circumference specifically increased the likelihood of severe COVID-19 31 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of body composition on COVID-19 susceptibility and severity: a two-sample multivariable Mendelian randomization study

Freuer

Linseisen

Meisinger

2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Recent observational studies suggested obesity to be a possible risk factor for COVID−19 disease in the wake of the coronavirus (SARS−CoV−2) infection. However, the causality as well as the role of body fat distribution in this context still unclear. Thus, using a two−sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach, we investigated the causal impact of obesity on the susceptibility and severity of COVID−19. Methods Obesity was quantified by body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and waist−to−hip ratio (WHR). Summary statistics of genome−wide association studies (GWASs) for these anthropometric measures were drawn from the GIANT consortium (Locke et al. (n=322154); Shungin et al. (n=232101)) and for the COVID-19 susceptibility (n=1079768) as well as hospitalization (n = 900687) from the COVID-19 Host Genetics Initiative. Causal estimates were calculated using Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) and sensitivity analyses were done applying several robust MR techniques. Results Genetically predicted BMI was significantly associated (per one SD) with both, COVID-19 susceptibility (OR=1.41; 95% CI: 1.15 − 1.72; P-value=0.001) and hospitalization (OR=1.60; 95% CI: 1.19 − 2.14; P-value=0.006). WC was associated with the susceptibility (OR=1.38; 95% CI: 1.07 − 1.78; P-value=0.015) but not with hospitalization. WHR was not associated with any of the COVID−19 outcomes. Conclusions This study provides evidence for a causal impact of overall obesity on the susceptibility and severity of COVID-19. Therefore, obese people should be regarded as a risk group. Future research is necessary to investigate the underlying mechanisms linking obesity with COVID−19.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of body composition on COVID-19 susceptibility and severity: a two-sample multivariable Mendelian randomization study

Freuer

Linseisen

Meisinger

2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Elderly patients (over the age of 60) and patients with comorbidities experience more severe symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 partially due to hyperactive chronic innate inflammatory responses as well as structural and functional changes in organs ( Frasca et al, 2017 ). Obesity increases the complications associated with the virus and aging in part due to structural/functional impairments ( Iacobellis et al, 2020a ; Malavazos et al, 2020 ) and also because visceral fat may serve as a reservoir for the virus and amplify inflammatory responses ( Ryan and Caplice, 2020 ). Obese tissues can affect the mechanics of the respiratory system by reducing the compliance and lung volumes ( Littleton, 2012 ) and pose as a risk factor for asthma ( Tashiro and Shore, 2019 ).…”

Section: Innate Immunitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Aging, Immunity, and COVID-19: How Age Influences the Host Immune Response to Coronavirus Infections?

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The novel coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 causing the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has ravaged the world with over 72 million total cases and over 1.6 million deaths worldwide as of early December 2020. An overwhelming preponderance of cases and deaths is observed within the elderly population, and especially in those with pre-existing conditions and comorbidities. Aging causes numerous biological changes in the immune system, which are linked to age-related illnesses and susceptibility to infectious diseases. Age-related changes influence the host immune response and therefore not only weaken the ability to fight respiratory infections but also to mount effective responses to vaccines. Immunosenescence and inflamm-aging are considered key features of the aging immune system wherein accumulation of senescent immune cells contribute to its decline and simultaneously increased inflammatory phenotypes cause immune dysfunction. Age-related quantitative and qualitative changes in the immune system affect cells and soluble mediators of both the innate and adaptive immune responses within lymphoid and non-lymphoid peripheral tissues. These changes determine not only the susceptibility to infections, but also disease progression and clinical outcomes thereafter. Furthermore, the response to therapeutics and the immune response to vaccines are influenced by age-related changes within the immune system. Therefore, better understanding of the pathophysiology of aging and the immune response will not only help understand age-related diseases but also guide targeted management strategies for deadly infectious diseases like COVID-19.

show abstract

“…The mechanisms may include the reprogramming of host metabolism, the exchange of microbiota components, and the adaptation of host immune and metabolic system in the presence of chronic viral infection, which produces changes in cytokine and interferons that may play a role in the development of obesity [ 193 , 194 ]. In the other way around obesity has been found to be an important risk factor for the severity of some viral infections such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) [ 195 ] and leptin has also been proposed as the possible link [ 196 ].…”

Section: Inflammation As a Mediator Of Leptin Resistance And Obesimentioning

confidence: 99%

Role of Leptin in Inflammation and Vice Versa

Pérez-Pérez

Sánchez-Jiménez

Vilariño-García

et al. 2020

IJMS

185

116

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Inflammation is an essential immune response for the maintenance of tissue homeostasis. In a general sense, acute and chronic inflammation are different types of adaptive response that are called into action when other homeostatic mechanisms are insufficient. Although considerable progress has been made in understanding the cellular and molecular events that are involved in the acute inflammatory response to infection and tissue injury, the causes and mechanisms of systemic chronic inflammation are much less known. The pathogenic capacity of this type of inflammation is puzzling and represents a common link of the multifactorial diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. In recent years, interest has been raised by the discovery of novel mediators of inflammation, such as microRNAs and adipokines, with different effects on target tissues. In the present review, we discuss the data emerged from research of leptin in obesity as an inflammatory mediator sustaining multifactorial diseases and how this knowledge could be instrumental in the design of leptin-based manipulation strategies to help restoration of abnormal immune responses. On the other direction, chronic inflammation, either from autoimmune or infectious diseases, or impaired microbiota (dysbiosis) may impair the leptin response inducing resistance to the weight control, and therefore it may be a cause of obesity. Thus, we are reviewing the published data regarding the role of leptin in inflammation, and the other way around, the role of inflammation on the development of leptin resistance and obesity

show abstract

COVID‐19 Rise in Younger Adults with Obesity: Visceral Adiposity Can Predict the Risk

Cited by 34 publications

References 5 publications

Impact of body composition on COVID-19 susceptibility and severity: a two-sample multivariable Mendelian randomization study

Impact of body composition on COVID-19 susceptibility and severity: a two-sample multivariable Mendelian randomization study

Aging, Immunity, and COVID-19: How Age Influences the Host Immune Response to Coronavirus Infections?

Role of Leptin in Inflammation and Vice Versa

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About