Studies revealed the relationship between Obesity and COVID-19 infections and deaths, according to a recently published article. 

Who Are Known as Vulnerable for the Virus?

It has already been established that pregnant, elderlies, those who have pre-medical conditions, and those who have a weak immune system are vulnerable to get the new coronavirus easily. It is for this reason that they are still required in some countries to stay-at-home even if some measures are already lifted. 

Meanwhile, there are also many contradicting studies as to who poses a higher risk of getting infected in terms of gender. In the previous article of Latin Post, it was reported that males could easily get infected because of their lifestyle while females could also get easily infected because they comprised the vast number of medical healthcare workers and other essential jobs. 

Do Obese People Pose Higher Risk? 

A person can classify himself if he is severely obese or not using the Body Mass Index. This is used to measure body fat based on height and weight that is both applied to men and of women of different ages. 

COVID-19 has hit obese people disproportionally around the globe. Many are also thinking why industrialized countries from Europe to the U.S. are leading the COVID-19 infections and death toll compared to impoverished ones. 

An example of this is Britain and the United States. Britain has long been described as the "Fat Man in Europe" and has one of the highest COVID-19 infections in the region. At present, 30 percent of their adults are classified as obese. 

Meanwhile, nearly 40 percent of the total population in the United States is classified as obese. The country has recorded more than 1.9 million infections and a death toll of more than 109,000 according to worldometers.

What Does the Study Reveal?  

Experts revealed in their study that obese people are more vulnerable and are posing higher death risk. This is because obese people could have other complications like type 2 diabetes, chronic diseases, heart problems, and more. 

Barry Popkin, a professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health in the US, said that obesity weakens a person's immune system. It was also found out by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control that 73 percent of critically ill patients who have COVID-19 in Italy, Sweden, Netherlands, and Spain are obese. 

According to another researcher, one of the reasons that obese people have a higher mortality rate is because of difficulty in using a ventilator. Wilder said that the lung capacity of Obese people for their body size is lower which means that there is a less reserve system. 

If obese people will have severe respiratory problems, the ability of their lungs to get oxygen will be affected. Aside from this, most of the obese people have pre-medical conditions like diabetes and heart problems which remained not diagnosed for many individuals. 

There are still many things that everyone including scientists do not know about COVID-19. That ranges from its transmission, groups who are vulnerable, and most of all is its cure. 

Read a related article: