COVID-19-related cardiovascular disease risk due to weight gain: a nationwide cohort study

• Published in: European journal of medical research 2024-01, Vol.29 (1), p.2-2, Article 2
• Main Authors: Lee, Su Kyoung, Lim, Yohwan, Jeong, Seogsong, Han, Hyun Wook
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Age; Alcohol; Body Mass Index; Body-mass index, BMI; Cardiovascular disease; Cardiovascular diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases - epidemiology; Cardiovascular Diseases - etiology; Cohort analysis; Cohort Studies; COVID-19; COVID-19 - complications; COVID-19 - epidemiology; Diabetes; Disease transmission; Eating disorders; Exercise; Health insurance; Heart; Humans; Hypertension; Infections; Medical screening; Metabolic disorders; Obesity; Obesity - complications; Obesity - epidemiology; Pregnancy; Risk Factors; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Sleep disorders; Variables; Weight control; Weight Gain; Weight loss maintenance
• ISSN: 2047-783X; 0949-2321; 2047-783X
• DOI: 10.1186/s40001-023-01569-7

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a significant contributor to morbidity and mortality worldwide, with CVD and post-acute COVID-19 associated CVD increasing. It remains unknown whether COVID-19 patients with weight gain are at a high risk for CVD events. Therefore, the primary objective of this study is to investigate the association between weight control and the risk of CVD following COVID-19. The study included 2,024,728 adults who participated in two rounds of health screening between 2017 and 2020. The final cohort, which included 70,996 participants in the COVID-19 group and 212,869 participants in the control group. The adjusted hazard ratio of BMI change to CVD risk was calculated using Cox proportional hazards regression. We identified a total of 2869 cases of CVD (861 events for COVID-19 group and 2,008 events for the control group). Compared to individuals with a stable BMI, COVID-19 patients without obesity had an increased risk of CVD (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] = 2.28; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.15-4.53; p-value = 0.018). Additionally, non-COVID-19 patients with obesity also exhibited a higher risk of CVD (aHR = 1.58; 95% CI, 1.01-2.47; p-value = 0.046). In conclusion, people who gained weight during the pandemic, regardless of their weight category, had a significantly higher risk of CVD associated with COVID-19 compared to those who maintained their weight before the pandemic.