tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Cardiovasc Endocrinol Metab
. 2020 Jun 11;9(3):102-107.
doi: 10.1097/XCE.0000000000000218. eCollection 2020 Sep.
Obese communities among the best predictors of COVID-19-related deaths
Antoine Fakhry AbdelMassih[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Ramy Ghaly[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Abeer Amin[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Amr Gaballah[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Aya Kamel[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Bassant Heikal[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Esraa Menshawey[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Habiba-Allah Ismail[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Hend Hesham[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Josephine Attallah[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Kirollos Eshak[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Mai Moursi[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Mariam Khaled-Ibn-ElWalid[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Marwa Tawfik[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Mario Tarek[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Mayan Mohy-El-Din[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Menna Habib[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Nada Hafez[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Odette Bahnan[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Passant Ismail[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Sara Senoussy[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Sherry Ghaly[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Sousanna Farah[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Rafeef Hozaien[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Veronia Adel[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Mariam Khaled[SUP] 4 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is the largest outbreak to strike the world since the Spanish flu in 1918. Visual examination of the world map shows a wide variation of death tolls between countries. The main goal of our series is to determine the best predictors of such discrepancy.
Methods: This is a retrospective study in which the rate of COVID-19 deaths was correlated with each of the following independent variables: total tests per 1 million population, gross domestic product (GDP), average temperatures per country, ultraviolet index, median age, average BMI per country, food supply, Bacille Calmette-Guerin compulsory status, and passenger traffic.
Results: BMI per country proved to be the second best predictor of death rate with an R value of 0.43, and GDP being the best predictor with R = 0.65.
Conclusion: This article shows a tight correlation between average BMI, food supply per country, and COVID-19-related deaths. Such predisposing factors might operate by upregulating the inflammation pathway in heavily struck countries, leading to easier triggering of the infamous cytokine storm syndrome. Obesity also increases cardiovascular and respiratory morbidities, which are coupled to increased ICU demand and deaths among infected cases.Video abstract: http://links.lww.com/CAEN/A25.
Keywords: coronavirus disease 2019 deaths; obesity; upregulated inflammation.
. 2020 Jun 11;9(3):102-107.
doi: 10.1097/XCE.0000000000000218. eCollection 2020 Sep.
Obese communities among the best predictors of COVID-19-related deaths
Antoine Fakhry AbdelMassih[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Ramy Ghaly[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Abeer Amin[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Amr Gaballah[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Aya Kamel[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Bassant Heikal[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Esraa Menshawey[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Habiba-Allah Ismail[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Hend Hesham[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Josephine Attallah[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Kirollos Eshak[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Mai Moursi[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Mariam Khaled-Ibn-ElWalid[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Marwa Tawfik[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Mario Tarek[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Mayan Mohy-El-Din[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Menna Habib[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Nada Hafez[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Odette Bahnan[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Passant Ismail[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Sara Senoussy[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Sherry Ghaly[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Sousanna Farah[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Rafeef Hozaien[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Veronia Adel[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Mariam Khaled[SUP] 4 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 32803143
- PMCID: PMC7314342
- DOI: 10.1097/XCE.0000000000000218
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is the largest outbreak to strike the world since the Spanish flu in 1918. Visual examination of the world map shows a wide variation of death tolls between countries. The main goal of our series is to determine the best predictors of such discrepancy.
Methods: This is a retrospective study in which the rate of COVID-19 deaths was correlated with each of the following independent variables: total tests per 1 million population, gross domestic product (GDP), average temperatures per country, ultraviolet index, median age, average BMI per country, food supply, Bacille Calmette-Guerin compulsory status, and passenger traffic.
Results: BMI per country proved to be the second best predictor of death rate with an R value of 0.43, and GDP being the best predictor with R = 0.65.
Conclusion: This article shows a tight correlation between average BMI, food supply per country, and COVID-19-related deaths. Such predisposing factors might operate by upregulating the inflammation pathway in heavily struck countries, leading to easier triggering of the infamous cytokine storm syndrome. Obesity also increases cardiovascular and respiratory morbidities, which are coupled to increased ICU demand and deaths among infected cases.Video abstract: http://links.lww.com/CAEN/A25.
Keywords: coronavirus disease 2019 deaths; obesity; upregulated inflammation.