Long-term effects of obesity on COVID-19 patients discharged from hospital

Shang, Luorui; Wang, Li; Zhou, Fangyuan; Li, Jinxiao; Liu, Yuhan; Yang, Shenglan

INTRODUCTION: Obesity has been reported as a risk factor for COVID-19 prognosis. However, the long-term effects of obesity on patients discharged from the hospital are unclear, and the present study aims to address this issue. METHODS: A cohort study was conducted using data from patients diagnosed with COVID-19 who were discharged from Wuhan Union Hospital between February 20, 2020, and March 20, 2020. The 118 patients with COVID-19 were divided into the non-obesity group and the obesity group according to their body mass index (BMI). All the patients were invited to fill out a series of scales to assess cardiopulmonary function. Data on population baseline characteristics, clinical manifestations, laboratory examinations, chest computed tomography (CT), and lung function were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: The clinical manifestations and pathological changes on CT images of obese patients were more serious after discharge than those of non-obese patients. In addition, we found significant abnormalities in metabolic indicators such as blood lipids, uric acid, and liver function in obese patients. Most importantly, the antibody titer of COVID-19 obese patients was inversely correlated with BMI. CONCLUSION: In the long term, obesity affects clinical manifestations, immune function and endocrine metabolism in patients discharged after recovering from COVID-19.