Prevalence of overweight and obesity and their effect on COVID‐19 severity and hospitalization among younger than 50 years versus older than 50 years population: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Abstract

SummaryCohort studies have shown that both overweight and obesity have their impact by increasing hospitalization with COVID‐19. We conducted a systematic literature search in PubMed, Google Scholar, and MedRxiv databases following the PRISMA guidelines. Statistical analyses were performed using STATA software version 16 MP (Stata Corp, College Station, TX, USA) and Med Calc software version 22.009(Med Calc software Ltd, Ostend, Belgium). The primary outcome was to measure the prevalence of overweight and obesity and their impact on the risk of hospitalization among COVID‐19 patients under and above 50 years of age. In total, 184 studies involving 2,365,377 patients were included. The prevalence of overweight was highest among those younger than 50 years of age over those older than 50 years of age, (26.33% vs. 30.46%), but there was no difference in obesity (36.30% vs. 36.02%). Overall, the pooled prevalence of overweight and obesity among hospitalized COVID‐19 patients was 31.0% and 36.26%, respectively. Compared with normal weight, the odds of hospitalization with overweight (odds ratio [OR] 2.186, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.19, 3.99], p < 0.01) and obesity (OR 3.069, 95% CI [1.67, 5.61], p < 0.001) in those younger than 50 years and obesity (OR 3.977, 95% CI [2.75, 5.73], p < 0.001) in the older than 50 years age group were significantly high. The increased prevalence of overweight and obesity among the under 50 years age group and obesity among the older than 50 years age group significantly increased the rate of COVID‐19 infections, severity and hospitalization.

Immunogenicity, clinical efficacy and safety of additional second COVID‐19 booster vaccines against Omicron and its subvariants: A systematic review

“…This trend remains pronounced among elderly individuals, those who underwent organ transplantation and those with comorbidities. These consistent results underscore the imperative for sustained vaccination efforts, particularly with bivalent mRNA vaccines targeting emerging Omicron variants 82,83 …”

“…This trend remains pronounced among elderly individuals, those who underwent organ transplantation and those with comorbidities. These consistent results underscore the imperative for sustained vaccination efforts, particularly with bivalent mRNA vaccines targeting emerging Omicron variants 82,83. 8 | CONCLUSIONIn conclusion, the evidence derived from the real-world literature included in this systematic review consistently indicates that an additional second COVID-19 booster vaccine effectively counters the Omicron VOC and its evolving subvariants.…”

Epidemiology, clinical presentation and treatment outcomes in patients with COVID-19 in an ambulatory setting: a cross sectional study during the massive SARS-CoV-2 wave in India

“…The most common comorbidities associated with the increased severity of COVID-19 were hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular diseases [ 8 ]. Several variants of SARS-CoV-2 have emerged that are notable because of their potential for increased transmission [ 9 ]. In addition to various vaccines, several pharmacological agents have been repurposed against coronavirus infection including, hydroxychloroquine, remdesivir, favipiravir, famotidine, glucocorticoids, immune modulators (IL-6 inhibitors, JAK-STAT Inhibitors) and Monoclonal antibodies, etc., based on evidence from the in vitro and in vivo studies data [ 10 , 11 , 12 ].…”