OBESITY AND COVID 19-TWO INTERCONNECTED PANDEMICS

Abstract

Corona virus disease commonly known as COVID-19 is a severe pandemic that has spread globally causing large number of deaths till date. Obesity is a disease caused due to excessive fat accumulation in the body. High calorie diet intake and lack of physical activity has increased obesity at an alarming rate causing it to reach pandemic proportions worldwide. An interrelationship exists between these diseases.  On one hand, obesity has emerged as an important risk factor of disease severity in COVID-19 while one the other hand, worldwide spread of COVID-19 and increased treatment requirements have resulted in less attention to other non-communicable diseases including obesity. This study reviews both the role of obesity as a risk factor of COVID-19 and the   negative impact of COVID-19 pandemic on obesity incidence and care. The study analyses the effect of obesity   on COVID-19 complications including recovery time, ICU admission, IMV requirement, poor outcomes and death. The review also takes into account the role of obesity on COVID-19 vaccine efficacy.

Keywords: COVID-19, Obesity, Risk factor, pandemic