We have known since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic that there are a number of risk factors that can make those who contract the virus more likely to experience serious and potentially life-threatening symptoms. Unfortunately, one of the most concerning of these risk factors is also a condition that applies to a near majority of American adults: obesity.
According to the CDC, 42.5% of adults in the United States over the age of 20 are clinically obese – defined as having a BMI of 30 or greater. While BMI is certainly not the most accurate indicator of a person’s overall health (bodybuilders, for example, often fall into the “obese” BMI despite being in peak physical condition) the fact still remains that an overwhelmingly large number of Americans fall into a risk factor category that can make them more susceptible to serious illness due to COVID-19.
So how does obesity correlate to more severe COVID-19 infections? According to the results of a study published in Obesity Reviews, obese adults who contract COVID-19 are 113% more likely to require hospitalization than those who are a healthy weight. The study also found that those with obesity who contract COVID-19 are 74% more likely to be admitted to the ICU and 48% more likely to die from the virus than those who are a healthy weight. Another study conducted by Genentech researchers found that 77% of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in the United States were either overweight or obese.
There are a number of proposed theories as to why obese people are more likely to experience a serious case of COVID-19. For one, obesity often leads to physical conditions such as an impaired immune system, chronic inflammation, and blood that is more prone to clotting – all of which can worsen COVID-19 symptoms. People who are obese are also more likely to exhibit other conditions that are COVID-19 risk factors such as heart disease, lung disease, and diabetes. Lastly, it is also thought that the social stigmatism surrounding obesity makes it less likely for obese people to seek the medical care that they need.
According to Anne Dixon, a physician-scientist who studies obesity and lung disease at the University of Vermont, the COVID-19 risk factors posed by obesity may be part of the reason why the United States has experienced such high hospitalization and death rates from the virus compared to other countries. The United States is currently home to over 13% of the world’s overall obese population, which is a larger percentage than any other country in the world.
The problem of high obesity levels among US adults is something that our country has been grappling with for some time now and one that has no easy solution. However, it is a problem that has become all the more concerning due to the risk factors that obesity poses for those who contract COVID-19.
How Bikham Healthcare is Striving for a Healthier United States in the Post-Pandemic Era
Ensuring that those who suffer from obesity are able to receive the care they need to be as healthy as possible during these troubling times is one of the most important objectives when it comes to protecting members of the US population that are most susceptible to COVID-19. At Bikham Healthcare, we are striving to help physicians and healthcare facilities across the country reach this all-important objective through a variety of industry-leading services.
One way to combat the stigmatism that prevents many obese people from reaching out for the care they need is telehealth – an innovation that has already been immensely helpful in slowing the virus’s spread. By providing revenue cycle management, credentialing, and enrollment services for telehealth providers, we at Bikham Healthcare are working to make telehealth more accessible and effective for obese patients and beyond.If you would like to learn more about how Bikham Healthcare can help you reduce the administrative burden of your healthcare facility in order to free up you and your staff to focus on providing your patients with the best possible care, be sure to contact us today.
