Background and aims: COVID-19 is an emerging pandemic due to droplet infection of 2019-novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). Due to its rapid transmission and high case-fatality rate, recognition of its risk and prognostic factor is important. Obesity has been associated with impaired immune system, increasing the susceptibility for 2019-nCoV infection. We aimed to study the impact of obesity to the prognosis and disease severity of COVID-19. Methods: A systematic search and handsearching was conducted in four databases: Cochrane, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and PubMed. The identified articles were screened using the chosen eligibility criteria. We obtained three retrospective cohort studies (Wu J et al., Lighter J et al., and Simonnet A et al.) to be critically appraised using Newcastle Ottawa Scale. Results: The findings of all included studies were consistent in stating the contribution of obesity as a risk factor to increase the requirement for advanced medical care. Study with the highest quality, Simonnet A et al., reported an increase need of invasive mechanical ventilation in COVID-19 patients with body mass index higher than 35 kg/m 2 , OR: 7.36 (1.63e33.14; p ¼ 0.021). This is associated with a higher mortality rate in obese population infected with COVID-19. Conclusion: Obesity is an independent risk and prognostic factor for the disease severity and the requirement of advanced medical care in COVID-19. This systematic review highlights a particularly vulnerable group e obese, and emphasises on the importance of treatment aggression and disease prevention in this population group.

Background and objectivesThe expanding diabetes epidemic worldwide could have potentially devastating effects on the development of healthcare systems and economies in emerging countries, both in terms of direct health care costs and loss of working time and disability. This study aims to review evidence on the burden, expenditure, complications, treatment, and outcomes of diabetes in Indonesia and its implications on the current health system developments.MethodsWe conducted a comprehensive literature review together with a review of unpublished data from the Ministry of Health and a public health insurer (Askes). Studies presenting evidence on prevalence, incidence, mortality, costs, complications and cost of complications, treatment, and outcomes were included in the analysis.ResultsA limited number of international, national and local studies on the burden and cost of diabetes in Indonesia were identified. National survey data suggests that in 2007 the prevalence of diabetes was 5.7%, of which more than 70% of cases were undiagnosed. This estimate hides large intracountry variation. There was very limited data available on direct costs and no data on indirect costs. The most commonly-identified complication was diabetic neuropathy.DiscussionThere were a number of limitations in the data retrieved including the paucity of data representative at the national level, lack of a clear reference date, lack of data from primary care, and lack of data from certain regions of the country.ConclusionsIf left unaddressed, the growing prevalence of diabetes in the country will pose a tremendous challenge to the Indonesian healthcare system, particularly in view of the Government’s 2010 mandate to achieve universal health coverage by 2014. Essential steps to address this issue would include: placing diabetes and non-communicable diseases high on the Government agenda and creating a national plan; identifying disparities and priority areas for Indonesia; developing a framework for coordinated actions between all relevant stakeholders.

ISRCTN 75636394.

Background: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome varies among populations with different ethnicities. Asian populations develop metabolic complications at lower amounts of adiposity than western populations. The role of abdominal obesity in the metabolic differences between the two populations is poorly understood.Objectives: Our objectives were to estimate the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and the relative contribution of its components in the Indonesian and the Dutch population, as well as to examine the associations of overall and abdominal obesity with metabolic syndrome. Methods:In this cross-sectional study of middle-aged adults in the Netherlands Epidemiology of Obesity Study (n = 6602) and the Indonesian National Health Surveillance (n = 10,575), metabolic syndrome was defined by the unified IDF and AHA/NHLBI criteria. We performed logistic and linear regressions to examine associations of BMI and waist circumference with the metabolic syndrome, mutually adjusted for waist circumference and BMI. Results:The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 28% and 46% in Indonesian men and women, and 36% and 24% in Dutch men and women. The most prominent components were hypertension (61%) and hyperglycemia (51%) in the Indonesian, and hypertension (62%) and abdominal obesity (40%) in the Dutch population. Per SD in BMI and waist circumference, odds ratios (ORs, 95% CI) of metabolic syndrome were 1.5 (1.3-1.8) and 2.3 (1.9-2.7) in Indonesian men and 1.7 (1.2-2.5) and 2.9 (2.1-4.1) in Dutch men. The ORs of metabolic syndrome were 1.4 (1.2-1.6) and 2.3 (2.0-2.7) in Indonesian women and 1.0 (0.8-1.3) and 4.2 (3.2-5.4) in Dutch women. Conclusion:More Indonesian women than men have metabolic syndrome, whereas the opposite is true for the Dutch population. In both the Indonesian and the Dutch populations, hypertension is the primary contributor to the prevalence of metabolic syndrome. In both populations, abdominal adiposity was more strongly associated with metabolic syndrome than overall adiposity.

Highlights Admission fasting blood glucose (AFBG) independently predicts poor COVID-19 outcomes. Risk of COVID-19 severity rises by 33% for each 1 mmol/L increase in AFBG. There is high-quality evidence on the independent link between AFBG and severity. We found moderate-quality evidence linking AFBG with mortality and poor outcomes. Further researches on the independent prognostic value of admission random BG are required.

Worldwide, there is little overlap between the prevalence of soil-transmitted helminths and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Helminth-induced type 2 immune responses and immune regulatory network might modulate the obesity-induced activation of inflammatory pathways that are associated with the development of insulin resistance, a strong predictor of the development of T2D. However, other factors such as helminth-associated changes in adiposity and gut microbiome might also contribute to improved metabolic outcomes. In this review, we summarize epidemiological evidence for the link between helminths and T2D and discuss the potential mechanisms, based on findings from experimental studies as well as the limited number of studies in humans.

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BackgroundInsulin resistance is a strong predictor of the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Chronic helminth infections might protect against insulin resistance via a caloric restriction state and indirectly via T-helper-2 polarization of the immune system. Therefore the elimination of helminths might remove this beneficial effect on insulin resistance.Methods/DesignTo determine whether soil-transmitted helminth infections are associated with a better whole-body insulin sensitivity and whether this protection is reversible by anthelmintic treatment, a household-based cluster-randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted in the area of Nangapanda on Flores Island, Indonesia, an area endemic for soil-transmitted helminth infections. The trial incorporates three monthly treatment with albendazole or matching placebo for one year, whereby each treatment round consists of three consecutive days of supervised drug intake. The presence of soil-transmitted helminths will be evaluated in faeces using microscopy and/or PCR. The primary outcome of the study will be changes in insulin resistance as assessed by HOMA-IR, while the secondary outcomes will be changes in body mass index, waist circumference, fasting blood glucose, 2 h-glucose levels after oral glucose tolerance test, HbA1c, serum lipid levels, immunological parameters, and efficacy of anthelmintic treatment.DiscussionThe study will provide data on the effect of helminth infections on insulin resistance. It will assess the relationship between helminth infection status and immune responses as well as metabolic parameters, allowing the establishment of a link between inflammation and whole-body metabolic homeostasis. In addition, it will give information on anthelmintic treatment efficacy and effectiveness.Trial registrationThis study has been approved by the ethical committee of Faculty of Medicine Universitas Indonesia (ref: 549/H2.F1/ETIK/2013), and has been filed by the ethics committee of Leiden University Medical Center, clinical trial number: ISRCTN75636394. The study is reported in accordance with the CONSORT guidelines for cluster-randomised trials.