SOURCE:
Obese people twice as likely to die from Covid (telegraph.co.uk)
Condition is linked with several other ailments, such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and asthma, which may lead to worse outcomes
Being obese makes people twice as likely to die from Covid as those of a healthy weight, figures show.
Previous research, carried out at the start of the pandemic, showed that people with obesity had a higher risk of severe Covid. A study by Public Health England in July 2020 found that severe obesity can increase the chance of dying by as much as 90 per cent.
New analysis by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has shown that mortality was higher for people aged 30 to 64 who were obese than those who were not.
The rate of death involving Covid was 2.12 and 2.22 times greater for obese men and women respectively compared with those of a healthy weight. The rate was consistent even after adjusting for age, ethnic group, smoking status and vaccination status.
Differences in the rate of death can partly be explained by people who are obese having higher levels of co-morbidities, the ONS said.
After adjusting for health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and asthma, the rate of death involving Covid remained 1.64 and 1.62 times greater for obese men and women respectively compared to those who were not.
Vahe Nafilyan, a senior statistician at the ONS, said: “People with obesity have been at higher risk of dying from Covid compared to people without obesity. They also experienced higher mortality from causes not involving Covid.
“Obesity is linked with several other health conditions, such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and asthma, which may lead to worse Covid outcomes and also increase the risk of death in general.
“This partly explains why people with obesity have higher rates of death involving Covid than people without obesity.”
