Hospital analysis finds nearly 50% obesity in small sample of COVID-19 patients 3 Bay Area counties share data in report published by CDC

FILE: EMTs move a stretcher at the Gateway Care and Rehabilitation Center on Thursday, April 9, 2020, in Hayward, Calif. FILE: EMTs move a stretcher at the Gateway Care and Rehabilitation Center on Thursday, April 9, 2020, in Hayward, Calif. Photo: Ben Margot/Associated Press Photo: Ben Margot/Associated Press Image 1 of / 27 Caption Close Hospital analysis finds nearly 50% obesity in small sample of COVID-19 patients 1 / 27 Back to Gallery

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been changed to clarify that the COVID-NET analysis of underlying conditions of COVID-19 patients was taken from only those patients whose data on their conditions was reported — 178 of the 1,482 patients in the study. Data on the remaining patients is not yet available.

Americans’ addiction to greasy junk food and heaping meal portions, disparities in access to healthy food and sitting for hours on end have made us especially vulnerable to COVID-19.

The United States has more obese people — about 40 percent of the overall population — than any other major nation, and obesity has been linked to chronic, preventable illnesses such as heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. Any of those conditions can lead to a more severe outcome of COVID-19.

A recent analysis of national hospital network data on 1,482 COVID-19 patients, found that among those patients who had data on underlying conditions, 48 percent were obese.

The COVID-NET report, published on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, looked at patients in 99 counties nationwide, including Alameda, Contra Costa and San Francisco counties in California. The information was collected between March 1 and March 31.



Data was provided for 178 patients, about 12 percent. Of that group, 90 percent had an underlying medical condition, including:

—Hypertension: 49.7%

—Diabetes: 28.3%

—Chronic lung disease: 34.6%

—Cardiovascular disease: 27.8%

—Obesity: 48.3%

For patients aged 18 to 49, obesity was the most prevalent underlying condition, according to the study. Nearly 60 percent of those hospitalized were obese.

While the report does not confirm obesity as an independent risk factor, when it occurs in conjunction with an underlying medical condition it can aggravate the severity of COVID-19.

"These findings suggest that older adults have elevated rates of COVID-19–associated hospitalization and the majority of persons hospitalized with COVID-19 have underlying medical conditions." the study's authors wrote. However, they noted the data on underlying conditions were preliminary and could change as hospitalization rates increase and more data becomes available.

The CDC defines an obese person as one with a body mass index of 30 kg/m2 or more, for example, a 6-foot-tall male who weighs 217 pounds. (Exception: Muscular physiques may have high BMIs without being obese or even overweight.)

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Mike Moffitt is an SFGATE Digital Reporter. Email: moffitt@sfgate.com. Twitter: @Mike_at_SFGate