The association between body mass index class and coronavirus disease 2019 outcomes.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: A growing body of data suggests that obesity influences coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Our study's primary objective was to assess the association between body mass index (BMI) categories and critical forms of COVID-19. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Data on consecutive adult patients hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 at Amiens University Hospital (Amiens, France) were extracted retrospectively. The association between BMI categories and the composite primary endpoint (admission to the intensive care unit or death) was probed in a logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: In total, 433 patients were included, and BMI data were available for 329: 20 were underweight (6.1%), 95 have a normal weight (28.9%), 90 were overweight (27.4%), and 124 were obese (37.7%). The BMI category was associated with the primary endpoint in the fully adjusted model; the odds ratio (OR) [95% confidence interval (CI)] for overweight and obesity were respectively 1.58 [0.77-3.24] and 2.58 [1.28-5.31]. The ORs [95% CI] for ICU admission were similar for overweight (3.16 [1.29-8.06]) and obesity (3.05 [1.25-7.82]) in the fully adjusted model. The unadjusted ORs for death were similar in all BMI categories while obesity only was associated with higher risk after adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that overweight (and not only obesity) is associated with ICU admission, but overweight is not associated with death.

Characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19 in hospitalized patients with and without diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a rapidly progressing pandemic, with four million confirmed cases and 280 000 deaths at the time of writing. Some studies have suggested that diabetes is associated with a greater risk of developing severe forms of COVID-19. The primary objective of the present study was to compare the clinical features and outcomes in hospitalized COVID-19 patients with vs without diabetes. METHODS: All consecutive adult patients admitted to Amiens University Hospital (Amiens, France) with confirmed COVID-19 up until April 21st, 2020, were included. The composite primary endpoint comprised admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) and death. Both components were also analysed separately in a logistic regression analysis and a Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS: A total of 433 patients (median age: 72; 238 (55%) men; diabetes: 115 (26.6%)) were included. Most of the deaths occurred in non-ICU units and among older adults. Multivariate analyses showed that diabetes was associated neither with the primary endpoint (odds ratio (OR): 1.12; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.66-1.90) nor with mortality (hazard ratio: 0.73; 95%CI: 0.40-1.34) but was associated with ICU admission (OR: 2.06; 95%CI 1.09-3.92, P = .027) and a longer length of hospital stay. Age was negatively associated with ICU admission and positively associated with death. CONCLUSIONS: Diabetes was prevalent in a quarter of the patients hospitalized with COVID-19; it was associated with a greater risk of ICU admission but not with a significant elevation in mortality. Further investigation of the relationship between COVID-19 severity and diabetes is warranted.