Risk of death and longer ICU stays for COVID patients with high BMI

A recent study published in PLOS ONE has highlighted that COVID-19 patients with a high body mass index (BMI) may have an increased risk of death and extended stays in intensive care units (ICU). The study gathered real-world data from the Swedish Intensive Care Registry, which measures all Swedish ICU stays, from March 6 to August 30 2020. From the data, 1649 individuals’ real-world data from the ICU was analyzed. Participants were admitted to the ICU based on a clinical diagnosis of COVID-19 or a positive PCR test. Altogether, 96% of the total cohort tested positive. Previous studies have found that obesity increases the risk of severe COVID-19 infection and is associated with comorbidities including hypertension and Type 2 diabetes. COVID-19 patients with a high BMI are also...