METABOLIC SYNDROME AND CLINICAL OUTCOMES IN A SAMPLE OF EGYPTIAN PATIENTS INFECTED WITH COVID-19

: Obesity, diabetes, and hypertension are the three main components of the metabolic syndrome and risk factors for developing severe COVID-19 infection. The pro-inflammatory state of metabolic syndrome may be responsible for associated complications of COVID-19. Methodology : We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study in Ain Shams University Isolation Hospital. A total number of 101 patients were recruited during the period from June 2021 to December 2021 , and they were divided into two groups based on whether they had the metabolic syndrome or not. Results: The majority of the admitted patients with COVID-19 were obese class I with mean = 34.72 kg/m2, and 57.4% of them were males. 59.6% of patients with metabolic syndrome had hypoxia in comparison to 38.9% of non metabolic syndrome patients who had hypoxia. They were also more vulnerable for admission in ICU than non metabolic syndrome patients , 38 (80.9%) vs 28 (51.9%) respectively. We found also statistically significant difference between patients with metabolic syndrome and non metabolic syndrome patients regarding medications and the need to receive methyl prednisolone and tocilizumab to suppress the cytokine storm, (36.2% )versus (3.7 % ) , (21.3 %) versus ( 1.9 %),(p value =0.01 ) and (p value =0.02 ) respectively. Conclusion: Metabolic syndrome is a strong risk factor for hospitalization and morbidity in a global population of hospitalized patients with COVID-19.