tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Arch Public Health
. 2024 Aug 23;82(1):131.
doi: 10.1186/s13690-024-01372-8. Metabolic health is more strongly associated with the severity and mortality of coronavirus disease 2019 than obesity
Hye Yeon Koo[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Jae-Ryun Lee[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jin Yong Lee[SUP] 3 4 5 [/SUP], Hyejin Lee[SUP] 6 7 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Background: Obesity has been suggested to be associated with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); however, it is unclear whether obesity or metabolic abnormalities accompanied by obesity have a stronger association with COVID-19 risk.
Methods: This study used the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency database, which includes information about the COVID-19 diagnosis and mortality dates of the entire Korean population between October 2020 and December 2021 (for diagnosis) or March 2022 (for mortality). A total of 24,310,283 adults were included and classified into four metabolic obesity phenotypes: (1) metabolically healthy and normal weight (MHNW), (2) metabolically unhealthy and normal weight (MUNW), (3) metabolically healthy and obese (MHO), and (4) metabolically unhealthy and obese (MUO). COVID-19 mortality and severity were compared according to metabolic obesity phenotypes in the total population and in each age group (20-<50 years, 50-<70 years, and ≥ 70 years). Additionally, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) after COVID-19 infection were compared according to metabolic obesity phenotypes.
Results: A total of 3, 956, 807 participants (16.3%) were diagnosed with COVID-19 during the study period. Among them, metabolically unhealthy subjects had higher mortality rates than metabolically healthy subjects (0.81% for MUNW, 0.40% for MUO, 0.23% for MHNW, and 0.19% for MHO). The rates of severe hospitalized disease were also higher in metabolically unhealthy subjects than in healthy subjects (0.59% for MUNW, 0.55% for MUO, 0.19% for MHNW, and 0.31% for MHO). In the subgroup analyses by age, similar trends were observed in subjects aged 20-50 and 50-70 years, respectively. Additionally, the incidence of total MACE was increased in metabolically unhealthy individuals.
Conclusions: The study shows that metabolic health is more strongly associated with COVID-19 mortality and severity than obesity, particularly in adults aged < 70 years.
Keywords: COVID-19; Metabolic health; Metabolic syndrome; Mortality; Obesity; Severity.
. 2024 Aug 23;82(1):131.
doi: 10.1186/s13690-024-01372-8. Metabolic health is more strongly associated with the severity and mortality of coronavirus disease 2019 than obesity
Hye Yeon Koo[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Jae-Ryun Lee[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jin Yong Lee[SUP] 3 4 5 [/SUP], Hyejin Lee[SUP] 6 7 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 39180113
- PMCID: PMC11342616
- DOI: 10.1186/s13690-024-01372-8
Background: Obesity has been suggested to be associated with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); however, it is unclear whether obesity or metabolic abnormalities accompanied by obesity have a stronger association with COVID-19 risk.
Methods: This study used the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency database, which includes information about the COVID-19 diagnosis and mortality dates of the entire Korean population between October 2020 and December 2021 (for diagnosis) or March 2022 (for mortality). A total of 24,310,283 adults were included and classified into four metabolic obesity phenotypes: (1) metabolically healthy and normal weight (MHNW), (2) metabolically unhealthy and normal weight (MUNW), (3) metabolically healthy and obese (MHO), and (4) metabolically unhealthy and obese (MUO). COVID-19 mortality and severity were compared according to metabolic obesity phenotypes in the total population and in each age group (20-<50 years, 50-<70 years, and ≥ 70 years). Additionally, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) after COVID-19 infection were compared according to metabolic obesity phenotypes.
Results: A total of 3, 956, 807 participants (16.3%) were diagnosed with COVID-19 during the study period. Among them, metabolically unhealthy subjects had higher mortality rates than metabolically healthy subjects (0.81% for MUNW, 0.40% for MUO, 0.23% for MHNW, and 0.19% for MHO). The rates of severe hospitalized disease were also higher in metabolically unhealthy subjects than in healthy subjects (0.59% for MUNW, 0.55% for MUO, 0.19% for MHNW, and 0.31% for MHO). In the subgroup analyses by age, similar trends were observed in subjects aged 20-50 and 50-70 years, respectively. Additionally, the incidence of total MACE was increased in metabolically unhealthy individuals.
Conclusions: The study shows that metabolic health is more strongly associated with COVID-19 mortality and severity than obesity, particularly in adults aged < 70 years.
Keywords: COVID-19; Metabolic health; Metabolic syndrome; Mortality; Obesity; Severity.