Coronavirus, an imminent danger for obese patients
All over the world, obese patients have been the most exposed to serious complications linked to contamination of the coronavirus.
Experts were unanimous that obesity is an aggravating factor, since many of the obese people who have contracted the virus have required mechanical ventilation.
Some scientific estimates indicate that 50% of obese people are likely to die if infected with the virus.
Bariatric surgery, an effective solution
Several researchers have confirmed that bariatric surgery is a very reliable alternative for significantly reducing the severity of the symptoms of COVID-19.
The United States is one of the countries hardest hit by the corona virus, as 70% of adults are obese or overweight. This allowed the disease to spread rapidly, which led many health experts to encourage obese patients to resort to weight loss (bariatric) surgery.
A study carried out by the Cleveland Clinic’s Bariatric and Metabolic Institute, which involved 363 patients with COVID-19, was unanimous on the benefits of bariatric surgery in this regard.
Among these 363 patients, some had previously undergone weight loss surgery, while others, who had a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 40 or more at the time they tested positive for COVID – 19, had not had weight loss surgery.
Only 18% of patients belonging to the first group had to be hospitalized. None of them were admitted to intensive care units, nor did they need mechanical ventilation or die.
On the contrary, 42% of patients in the second group were hospitalized, of which 13% had been admitted to intensive care units, 7% required mechanical ventilation and 2% had died.
The promising results of this study make bariatric surgery a reliable option for obese people to fight against the severity of COVID-19 symptoms.