Concepedia

Body Mass Index and Risk for COVID-19–Related Hospitalization, Intensive Care Unit Admission, Invasive Mechanical Ventilation, and Death — United States, March–December 2020

Lyudmyla Kompaniyets, Alyson B. Goodman, Brook Belay, David S. Freedman, Marissa Scalia Sucosky, Samantha J. Lange, Adi V. Gundlapalli, Tegan K. Boehmer, Heidi M. Blanck

MMWR Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report · 2021 · 453 citations · 7 references

DOI Full text

Open access

Concepts

MedicineInternal MedicineClinical EpidemiologyEpidemiologySepsisBody CompositionObesity EpidemiologyObesity ManagementWeight ManagementLow Body Mass IndexMechanical Ventilation CareMechanical Ventilation In ObesityObesity CriteriaObesity In Critical IllnessObesity-associated Risk AssessmentObesity-related MortalityObesity-related Risk Stratification

Abstract

. As clinicians develop care plans for COVID-19 patients, they should consider the risk for severe outcomes in patients with higher BMIs, especially for those with severe obesity. These findings highlight the clinical and public health implications of higher BMIs, including the need for intensive COVID-19 illness management as obesity severity increases, promotion of COVID-19 prevention strategies including continued vaccine prioritization (6) and masking, and policies to ensure community access to nutrition and physical activities that promote and support a healthy BMI.