Mixed
In young and middle-aged adults (18-55 years), the combination of obesity, diabetes, and hypertension increases the risk of COVID-19-related mortality to levels comparable to those observed in older adults (56-75 years) without these conditions.
If you are under 55, your age alone does not protect you from severe COVID-19 outcomes if you have obesity, diabetes, or high blood pressure. These conditions combine to elevate your mortality risk to that of an older adult. Prioritize managing these metabolic factors through lifestyle changes and medical care, and ensure you are prioritized for preventive measures like vaccination.
Compared to young and middle-aged (18–55 years) patients without obesity, diabetes and hypertension (non-obese and metabolically healthy; n = 593), young and middle-aged adult patients with all three risk parameters (obese and metabolically unhealthy; n = 31) had a similar adjusted increased risk of mortality [OR 7.42 (95% CI 1.55–27.3)] as older (56–75 years) non-obese and metabolically healthy patients [n = 339; OR 8.21 (95% CI 4.10–18.3)].
Why this rating
Large multi-center observational cohort (n=3,163) with multivariable adjustment for sex and comorbidities, though observational design limits causal inference.
Source
Obesity and Impaired Metabolic Health Increase Risk of COVID-19-Related Mortality in Young and Middle-Aged Adults to the Level Observed in Older People: The LEOSS Registry
Norbert Stefan et al. · Frontiers in Medicine · 2022
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