Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33254576›Full record

ArticleMedical hypotheses2020

Alcohol consumption and obesity: The hidden scare with COVID-19 severity.

Bushra Bilal, Faizan Saleem, Syeda Sadia Fatima

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Medical hypotheses, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

6 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. The hidden cost of sophistication: economic complexity and obesity.The European journal of health economics : HEPAC : health economics in prevention and care · 2025
    Article
  2. Substances of abuse and their effect on SAR-CoV-2 pathogenesis.NeuroImmune pharmacology and therapeutics · 2023
    Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Review
  6. Article
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

3 authors.

Bushra BilalMuhammad Ali Jinnah University, Karachi, Pakistan.
Faizan SaleemMuhammad Ali Jinnah University, Karachi, Pakistan.
Syeda Sadia FatimaDepartment of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan. Electronic address: sadia.fatima@aku.edu.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Obese individuals seem to be at the highest risk of contracting COVID-19 infection. Furthermore, severity of morbidity and mortality rates are higher in the developed world as compared to the developing world. One probable reason for this difference could be the difference in living conditions and exposure to other infections. Secondly, the difference in food especially, alcohol use may have deteriorating effects superimposed with obesity. Our hypothesis suggests that a combination of alcohol consumption and obesity causes low immunity and makes the individual prone to develop 'cytokine storm' and 'acute respiratory distress syndrome'; the hallmark of COVID-19 mortality and morbidity. Thus, we propose that reducing any one trigger can have a beneficial effect in combating the disease severity.

Indexed as

Alcohol DrinkingAdipose TissueAlcoholismAngiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2ChinaCOVID-19CytokinesHumansImmune SystemInflammationInterleukin-8ObesityTreatment OutcomeTumor Necrosis Factor-alphaACE2 protein, humanAngiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2CXCL8 protein, humanCytokinesInterleukin-8Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

Identifiers

PMID33254576
PMCPMC7492811

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.