Pathophysiological aspects of the effect of obesity on the course of viral diseases

Abstract

COVID-19 is a pandemic causing extreme problems in the public health system around the world. In this regard, the search for conditions associated with severe course and an increase in the death rate from COVID-19 continues to be actively conducted. Obesity creates an unfavorable background for the course of COVID-19, increasing the risk of transferring patients to the intensive care unit, the need for artificial lung ventilation and significantly affecting the mortality rate. This review presents data on the probable pathogenetic mechanisms of the effect of obesity on the course of COVID-19: restrictive disorders of the respiratory system, hyperactivation of the proinflammatory status, hypercoagulation, the role of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) and amino acid-sensitive pathways. The progressive increase in new cases of obesity requires further study of the pathogenetic mechanisms of the effect of obesity on the course of COVID-19 and the prospects for new treatment methods for these patients.