We’ve heard about the dangers of coronavirus for older people and those with chronic health problems like high blood pressure.
Key points:
- Research from New York University has found obese COVID-19 patients under 60 were almost twice as likely to need treatment in the ICU
- Severe obesity increases the risk of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which is a major complication of COVID-19.
- In Australia, two-thirds of adults are classified as overweight or obese
But new research is pointing to evidence that being overweight or obese might also make the impacts of COVID-19 more severe, particularly for those aged under 60.
The US Centers for Disease Control now lists people who are severely obese as being at a higher risk of complications from COVID-19.
In addition, data out of China has found that obese and overweight patients were five times more prevalent in the numbers of deaths, while a number of studies across the world have confirmed the risk.
Research from the UK’s Intensive Care and National Audit and Research Cent