Benefits of Bariatric Surgery Prior to SARS‐CoV‐2 Infection in Modulating the Response to COVID‐19

Abstract

As of October 2020, the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2), responsible for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID‐19), has infected over 33million individuals and killed over one million people worldwide. ( https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html accessed October 1 2020) Obesity and its complications are linked to severe forms of COVID‐19, favouring an increased hospitalization and mortality rate. Despite being the gold‐standard for the treatment of selected individuals with severe obesity, there is scarce information on whether or not bariatric surgery modifies the prognosis of people living with obesity in the current COVID‐19 pandemic. Bel Lassen and colleagues have carried out the first study with a high number of patients in their sample, bringing light into this area of uncertainty. The authors provide evidence of the importance of diabetes itself as a risk factor for severe COVID‐19.

COVID-19 and the Gastrointestinal Tract

“…There is scarce information on the prognostic implications of bariatric surgery history in people living with obesity in the current COVID-19 pandemic [21]. In a study that included 738 post-bariatric surgery patients, COVID-19-likely events occurred in 8.4% of patients, with 6.4% of them having severe COVID-19 requiring in-hospital treatment and a 1.6% fatality rate.…”