RESUMEN
Background: The persistent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has placed a significant burden on the scientific and medical professions. The study examined the association between body mass index (BMI), stratified by category, and severe form of COVID-19, and to explore the influence of demographic characteristics and other known risk factors. Methods: This was a retrospective analysis based on COVID-19 data from the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health. Data were collected for all patients admitted to three main hospitals in Riyadh region between March 1st and July 30, 2020. The effects of BMI, demographic characteristics, clinical presentation, and comorbidities on infection severity were investigated. Results: A total of 950 patients were included in the study (70% male, 85% aged younger than 60 years old). A total of 55 (5.8%) patients were underweight, 263 (27.7%) were normal weight, 351 (37%) were overweight, 161 (17%) were obese class I, 76 (8%) were obese class II, and 44 (4.6%) were obese class III. Cough, fever, and shortness of breath were the most common symptoms among overweight patients. According to the findings of a bivariate logistic regression study, class III obesity was significantly associated with a more severe form of COVID-19 (odds ratio, 2.874; 95% confidence interval, 1.344-6.149). Conclusion: This study revealed that patients with a BMI ≥40 kg/m2 had a higher risk of severe COVID-19 than those with normal weight. This suggests that obesity is a risk factor for severe COVID-19 and influences disease presentation.
RESUMEN
The outbreak of corona virus disease (COVID-19) caused by the new severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 began in Wuhan, China, resulting in respiratory disorders. In January of 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a pandemic owing to its global spread. Because no studies have investigated COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia, this study investigated similarities and differences between demographic data during the COVID-19 and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) outbreaks in Saudi Arabia. A retrospective trend analysis was performed to assess demographic data of all laboratory-confirmed MERS and COVID-19 cases. Patients' charts were reviewed for data on demographics, mortality, citizenship, sex ratio, and age groups with descriptive and comparative statistics; the data were analyzed using a non-parametric binomial test and chi-square test. Of all COVID-19 patients in Saudi Arabia,78%were male patients and 22% were female patients. This proportion of male COVID-19 patients was similar to that of male MERS patients, which also affected male patients more frequently than female patients. The number of COVID-19-positive Saudi cases was lower than that of non-Saudi cases, which were in contrast to that of MERS; COVID-19 appeared to be remarkably similar to MERS with respect to recovered cases. However, the numbers of critical and dead COVID-19 patients have been much lower than those of MERS patients. The largest proportion of COVID-19 and MERS cases (44.05% and 40.8%, respectively) were recorded in the Western region. MERS and COVID-19 exhibited similar threats to the lives of adults and the elderly, despite lower mortality rates during the COVID-19 epidemic. Targeted prevention of and interventions against MERS should be allocated populations according to the areas where they inhabit. However, much more information regarding the dynamics and epidemiology of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia is needed.Abbrevation : MERS: Middle East Respiratory syndrome; COVID-19: Corona Virus Disease 2019.