Comorbidities: How They Relate to COVID-19 & Obesity
In 2021, our health is more important than ever. Social Isolation, finding ways to be active and the fear of contracting COVID-19 were all factors in our overall health over the past year. Unfortunately, those factors had negative impacts on many people’s comorbidities. In an essence, a “comorbidity” is just a fancy way of saying that an individual has multiple health or underlying conditions. Whether it be heart diseases, gastrointestinal disorders, or respiratory illnesses (COVID-19, for example), any underlying condition may lead to another condition that ultimately makes both worse.
There are many different possibilities of comorbidities and many illnesses tend to occur at the same time as others for a variety of reasons. The risk factors could be the same for two specific diseases or the symptoms of one illness can predispose an individual to another illness. There are 5 different relationships when it comes to comorbidities:
· No ethological association between the two, meaning they are occurring completely separate from each other. One is not causing the other and they have separate risk factors.
· Direct causation relationship where one of the diseases causes the other. The risk factors for each disease could be correlated with one another.
· Heterogeneity relationship where the risk factors for each disease are not correlated but each one could cause either disease.
· The last relationship is one of independence as the diagnoses of each disease is actually due to a third disease.
Throughout 2020 and into 2021, over 28 million people contracted COVID-19 in America. According to the CDC, over 1.28 million people that passed away due to COVID-19 had a comorbidity with pneumonia and respiratory failure being the most prevalent. The CDC also states that patients with cancer, chronic kidney disease, COPD, down syndrome, heart conditions, weakened immune systems, a BMI above 30, pregnancy, sickle cell disease, smoking and type 2 diabetes are at an increased risk of contracting Coronavirus. These comorbidities lead to an increasingly rapid and severe progression that may lead to death when suffering from a COVID-19 infection. This goes to show that during this day & age of the “new normal,” comorbidities are even more risky than ever before. One final note on the totality of comorbidities and the connection to COVID-19: obesity leads to a 114% increase in hospitalization, a 74% greater risk in needing intensive care and a 48% greater possibility of death when infected. With over 40% of Americans being obese, this is a major cause for concern going forward.
When it comes to comorbidities and how it applies to weight loss and bariatric surgery, the disease is morbid obesity and the comorbidities are far-reaching. Morbid obesity means that an individual is severely overweight. BMI is used to determine how obese an individual is. BMI is just a calculation that uses an individual’s height and weight to determine what percentage of their body is made up of fat. A BMI over 40 is considered morbidly obese. A patient with a BMI of 35 or more and experiencing obesity-related health conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes. To qualify for bariatric surgery, insurance companies typically require one of the aforementioned classifications. Common comorbidities of morbid obesity include arthritis, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, and soft tissue infections. In fact, Type 2 diabetes is extremely common in morbidly obese patients. The excess body weight is associated with mortality from a variety of causes including cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer (colorectal, prostate, endometrial, breast, and gallbladder). More than 5% of the national health expenditure in the United States is directed at medical costs associated with obesity. It is worth noting that a comorbidity doesn’t just have to be two physical conditions. The physical comorbidities that obese patients have to deal with along with social discrimination can cause these individuals to develop eating disorders, depression or other psychologic problems. Data from Pubmed.gov shows that bariatric surgery can reduce a type 2 diabetic’s dependence on medication and could potentially completely resolve the condition as far as other underlying conditions.
Underlying conditions that go undiagnosed are a cause for concern and any change in your symptoms should be reported to your physician. Underlying conditions can lead to other conditions, known as comorbidities. Comorbidities then lead to other diseases, illnesses and even death. During the past year we’ve uncovered the possibilities and leading causes for the world’s newest enemy in COVID-19. To fight against the pandemic, one must keep control of their comorbidities in their respective way. Whether it's losing weight, staying active, taking medication or having the proper diet, the world must keep their comorbidities and COVID-19 in check. If you are struggling with your health and need support, don’t hesitate. Call United Medical Clinic at (866) 862-2955.
Citations:
https://www.health.com/condition/infectious-diseases/coronavirus/comorbidities-meaning-covid
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/covid_weekly/index.htm#Comorbidities
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with-medical-conditions.html
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2713155/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10696282/