Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32459524›Full record

ReviewAmerican journal of physiology. Endocrinology and metabolism2020

Obesity and COVID-19: immune and metabolic derangement as a possible link to adverse clinical outcomes.

Emmanouil Korakas, Ignatios Ikonomidis, Foteini Kousathana, Konstantinos Balampanis, Aikaterini Kountouri, Athanasios Raptis, Lina Palaiodimou, Alexander Kokkinos, Vaia Lambadiari

Open access · greenAbstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in American journal of physiology. Endocrinology and metabolism, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 121 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
121citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
5.2field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

121 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 237 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pediatric endocrinopathies related to COVID-19: an update.World journal of pediatrics : WJP · 2023
    Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Pooled it
  5. Observational
  6. Review
  7. Article
  8. Leptin and Acute Lung Disorders.Comprehensive Physiology · 2025
    Review
  9. Review
  10. Article
  11. Article
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  13. Article
  14. Review
  15. Article
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61 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Emmanouil KorakasSecond Department of Internal Medicine, Attikon University Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.ORCID 0000-0002-7813-5488
Ignatios IkonomidisSecond Cardiology Department, Attikon University Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Foteini KousathanaSecond Department of Internal Medicine, Attikon University Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Konstantinos BalampanisSecond Department of Internal Medicine, Attikon University Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Aikaterini KountouriSecond Department of Internal Medicine, Attikon University Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Athanasios RaptisSecond Department of Internal Medicine, Attikon University Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Lina PalaiodimouSecond Department of Neurology, Attikon University Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Alexander KokkinosFirst Department of Propaedeutic Internal Medicine and Diabetes Center, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Laiko General Hospital, Athens, Greece.
Vaia LambadiariSecond Department of Internal Medicine, Attikon University Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens · GR

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Recent reports have shown a strong association between obesity and the severity of COVID-19 infection, even in the absence of other comorbidities. After infecting the host cells, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) may cause a hyperinflammatory reaction through the excessive release of cytokines, a condition known as "cytokine storm," while inducing lymphopenia and a disrupted immune response. Obesity is associated with chronic low-grade inflammation and immune dysregulation, but the exact mechanisms through which it exacerbates COVID-19 infection are not fully clarified. The production of increased amounts of cytokines such as TNFα, IL-1, IL-6, and monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP-1) lead to oxidative stress and defective function of innate and adaptive immunity, whereas the activation of NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome seems to play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of the infection. Endothelial dysfunction and arterial stiffness could favor the recently discovered infection of the endothelium by SARS-CoV-2, whereas alterations in cardiac structure and function and the prothrombotic microenvironment in obesity could provide a link for the increased cardiovascular events in these patients. The successful use of anti-inflammatory agents such as IL-1 and IL-6 blockers in similar hyperinflammatory settings, like that of rheumatoid arthritis, has triggered the discussion of whether such agents could be administrated in selected patients with COVID-19 disease.

Indexed as

Adaptive ImmunityBetacoronavirusCoronavirus InfectionsCOVID-19Cytokine Release SyndromeEndotheliumHeartHumansImmunity, InnateInflammationNLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 ProteinObesityOxidative StressPandemicsPneumonia, ViralRisk FactorsNLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 ProteinNLRP3 protein, humanarterial stiffnessCOVID-19cytokinesimmune systemobesity

Identifiers

PMID32459524
PMCPMC7322508
OpenAlexW3031773068

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.