Obesity is associated with worse outcomes in COVID-19: Analysis of Early Data From New York City.

OBJECTIVE: The 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has triggered a rapidly-expanding global pandemic in which patients exhibit a wide spectrum of disease severity. Given the high prevalence of obesity in the United States, we hypothesized that the presence of obesity may play a role in the clinical course of COVID-19 patients.

METHODS: This is a retrospective review of adult patients admitted with confirmed SARS-CoV-2. Demographics, clinical characteristics, laboratory data, and clinical outcomes were abstracted. BMI (kg/m ) was analyzed with regard to a composite outcome of ICU admission or death, and intubation rate.

RESULTS: 770 patients were included (61% male, mean age 63.5 yrs). Obese patients were more likely to present with fever, cough and shortness of breath. Obesity was also associated with a significantly higher rate of ICU admission or death (RR = 1.58, p = 0.002) even after adjusting for age, race and troponin level.

CONCLUSIONS: Obese patients had an increased risk of critical illness leading to ICU admission or death compared to normal weight individuals. This study confirms that obesity is a major risk factor for COVID-19 disease severity, significantly impacting disease presentation and critical care requirements.