COVID19 & Obesity

Statistics show that many of us may have a higher death rate due to the high prevalence of obesity. 
That is a fact. We don't have the numbers for COVID because it's an ongoing health emergency and because china & Italy do not have the rate of obesity as the US & India, 
But, if we look at the data of the h1n1 pandemic in 2009, obesity was an independent factor for death. Also, we currently know that people with obesity have less of a response to the flu vaccine. 

What's the relationship between obesity and COVID 19?

People with obesity do not have a higher risk of the contracting virus but have a higher risk of developing severe disease and death if they contract it. Basically, someone with obesity will have a more severe form of illness that can lead to ICU, use of ventilator and death.

But why?

one word: inflammation. Patients with obesity are in a chronic state of inflammation that leads to decreased and compromised immunity, they have a slower response to fight viral infection and poor recovery from the disease.

Baseline alterations in the obese lung environment affect the viral pathogenesis and immune response and leave the lung susceptible to increased viral spread.

Inflammation leads to decrease cell memory which is needed for a vaccine to do its function, to make antibodies. 

Poor vaccine response is also due to suboptimal macrophage functionality and maturation. 

What to do?

If you have obesity the most important thing you can do is follow social distancing, again the most important is to avoid the virus as the complications may be severe.

Interventions such as weight loss, diet change and exercise are the first line of defense against the obesity epidemic. Continued studies to understand the mechanistic interactions between the lung epithelia, immune cells, and vaccine response. 
And this and for many other reasons is why your weight matters.