Obesity linked to long COVID, reveals new study

New research by Edith Cowan University (ECU) Centre of Precision Health visiting PhD scholar Ms Debora Barbosa Ronca found that people with excess weight are more likely to experience long-term neurological and mental health symptoms after COVID-19, including headache, vertigo, smell and taste disorders, sleep disturbance, and depression.

“We anticipated some level of association between excess weight and post-COVID-19 symptoms based on prior evidence linking obesity with worse COVID-19 long-term outcomes.

“What stood out was the consistency of findings across a wide range of neurological and neuropsychiatric symptoms-including memory problems, depression, sleep disturbances, and sensory impairments. While we did not perform subgroup analyses by ethnicity, the inclusion of studies from 23 different countries suggests the global relevance of our findings,” Ms Ronca said.

Excess weight has been associated with the development of long COVID or Post-COVID-19 condition, as proposed by the World Health Organization.

While the mechanics behind the negative association between excess weight and long COVID is yet to be confirmed, Ms Ronca noted that it could be linked to an exaggerated inflammatory response predisposed by excess fatty tissue in the body. Moreover, fat tissue helps the SARS-CoV-2 virus enter the body and may store the virus, allowing it to spread.

Some studies have shown that long COVID symptoms could persist for 12 months or longer, necessitating the need for long-term medical interventions.

“These symptoms of long COVID can significantly impact quality of life and may linger for months. As we face overlapping public health challenges in the post-pandemic era, such as long COVID, mental health issues, and rising rates of obesity, it’s essential to develop personalised and multidisciplinary care strategies to better support affected individuals,” Ms Ronca said.

“Physicians and healthcare professionals should be aware that individuals with excess weight may be at higher risk of experiencing long-term neurological and mental health symptoms following COVID-19. This population may require closer monitoring and multidisciplinary care approaches. Integrating concomitant weight management, mental health support, and rehabilitation into post-COVID care plans could improve patient outcomes.” 

Reference:

Débora Barbosa Ronca ,Larissa Otaviano Mesquita,Dryelle Oliveira,Ana Cláudia Morais Godoy Figueiredo,Jun Wen,Manshu Song ,Kênia Mara Baiocchi de Carvalho, Excess weight is associated with neurological and neuropsychiatric symptoms in post-COVID-19 condition: A systematic review and meta-analysis, PLOS One, DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0314892