Obesity and COVID-19: Insights from Two Pandemics

Abstract

Objective of the Review: To present the pathophysiological mechanisms of the coronavirus infection in obese patients, and approaches to obesity correction in this group of patients following an overview of large randomized clinical trials of cardiovascular safety from PubMed, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar. Key Points. Clinical trials have demonstrated that obesity is a significant risk factor of a number of comorbidities, including severe and fatal cases of the novel coronavirus infection. A higher prevalence and severity of the novel coronavirus infection in obese patients is caused by a set of factors, with the most significant factor being an increased cardiovascular risk, including tendency to blood-clotting, reduced respiratory efficiency, impaired immune response, and chronic inflammations. Main groups of medicinal products that can be used to manage lipotoxicity have been listed. Conclusion. It has been proven that a range of positive effects from new antihyperglycemic agents (glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists and sodium-glucose linked transporter-2 inhibitors), combined with a well-studied efficiency and safety profile, is a new method to manage obesity during the coronavirus pandemic. Keywords: novel coronavirus infection, obesity, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, sodium-glucose linked transporter-2 inhibitors, cardiovascular complications, prevention.