Obesity and impaired metabolic health in patients with COVID-19

Norbert Stefan; Andreas L Birkenfeld; Matthias B Schulze; David S Ludwig

doi:10.1038/s41574-020-0364-6

Obesity and impaired metabolic health in patients with COVID-19

Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2020 Jul;16(7):341-342. doi: 10.1038/s41574-020-0364-6.

Authors

Norbert Stefan^{1

2

3

4}, Andreas L Birkenfeld^{5

6

7

8}, Matthias B Schulze^{7

9}, David S Ludwig^{10

11

12}

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases (IDM) of the Helmholtz Center Munich, Tübingen, Germany. norbert.stefan@med.uni-tuebingen.de.
² Department of Internal Medicine IV, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetology and Nephrology, University Hospital of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany. norbert.stefan@med.uni-tuebingen.de.
³ German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Neuherberg, Germany. norbert.stefan@med.uni-tuebingen.de.
⁴ Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. norbert.stefan@med.uni-tuebingen.de.
⁵ Institute of Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases (IDM) of the Helmholtz Center Munich, Tübingen, Germany.
⁶ Department of Internal Medicine IV, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetology and Nephrology, University Hospital of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
⁷ German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Neuherberg, Germany.
⁸ Department of Diabetes, School of Life Course Science, King's College London, London, UK.
⁹ Department of Molecular Epidemiology, German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke, Nuthetal, Germany.
¹⁰ Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
¹¹ Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
¹² New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.

Abstract

Preliminary data suggest that people with obesity are at increased risk of severe COVID-19. However, as data on metabolic parameters (such as BMI and levels of glucose and insulin) in patients with COVID-19 are scarce, increased reporting is needed to improve our understanding of COVID-19 and the care of affected patients.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Betacoronavirus*
COVID-19
Coronavirus Infections / complications*
Coronavirus Infections / epidemiology
Global Health
Humans
Incidence
Metabolic Syndrome / complications*
Metabolic Syndrome / epidemiology
Obesity / complications*
Obesity / epidemiology
Pandemics*
Pneumonia, Viral / complications*
Pneumonia, Viral / epidemiology
Risk Factors
SARS-CoV-2