CDC: 78% of COVID Hospitalizations Are Overweight or Obese

According to a recent report from the Center for Disease Control in the US, the overwhelming majority of people who have been hospitalized, placed on a ventilator, or died from Covid-19, have either been overweight or obese. Some of the highlights of this study include:

• About 78% of people who have been hospitalized, needed a ventilator or died from Covid-19 have been overweight or obese, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a new study Monday.
• Just over 42% of the U.S. population was considered obese in 2018, according to the agency’s most recent statistics. Overweight is defined as having a body mass index of 25 or more, while obesity is defined as having a BMI of 30 or more.
• “As clinicians develop care plans for COVID-19 patients, they should consider the risk for severe outcomes in patients with higher BMIs, especially for those with severe obesity,” the CDC wrote.

CNBC reports…

Among 148,494 adults who received a Covid-19 diagnosis during an emergency department or inpatient visit at 238 U.S. hospitals from March to December, 71,491 were hospitalized. Of those who were admitted, 27.8% were overweight and 50.2% were obese, according to the CDC report. Overweight is defined as having a body mass index of 25 or more, while obesity is defined as having a BMI of 30 or more.

The agency found the risk for hospitalizations, ICU admissions and deaths was lowest among individuals with BMIs under 25. The risk of severe illness “sharply increased,” however, as BMIs rose, particularly among people 65 and older, the agency said.

Just over 42% of the U.S. population was considered obese in 2018, according to the agency’s most recent statistics.

(…) Obesity is a common and costly chronic disease in the U.S. Non-Hispanic Black adults have the highest prevalence of self-reported obesity in the U.S., followed by Hispanic adults and non-Hispanic white people, according to the CDC.

The CDC has previously noted that having obesity increases the risk of severe illness, including hospitalizations. Obesity is linked to impaired immune function and decreased lung capacity that can make ventilation more difficult, the agency has said.

READ MORE COVID NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire COVID Files

PLEASE HELP SUPPORT OUR INDEPENDENT MEDIA PLATFORM HERE

21st Century Wire is an alternative news agency designed to enlighten, inform and educate readers about world events which are not always covered in the mainstream media.