ReviewInternational journal of molecular sciences2021
Susceptibility and Severity of Viral Infections in Obesity: Lessons from Influenza to COVID-19. Does Leptin Play a Role?
Review in International journal of molecular sciences, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 31 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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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.
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Who cites it
31 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 43 citations in OpenAlex.
- Organokines in COVID-19: A Systematic Review.Cells · 2023Pooled it
- The Role of Epicardial and Visceral Fat in Severe Respiratory Infections: Associations With Adverse Outcomes.Clinical obesity · 2026Observational
- Genomic epidemiology of a 2023-2024 Oropouche virus disease outbreak in Iquitos, Peru: descriptive analysis of a case control study for acute febrile illness.Lancet regional health. Americas · 2026Article
- A scoping review of risk factors for urinary tract infections following renal transplantation.BMC urology · 2026Article
- An Overview of the Effects of Exercise on Viral Infection in Obesity: Recent Advances and Potential Mechanisms.Applied biochemistry and biotechnology · 2026Review
- Advances in the Role of Adipose Tissue in Promoting Injury Repair and Resist Infection.Immunity, inflammation and disease · 2026Review
- Tissue-Specific Multi-Omics Integration Demonstrates Molecular Signatures Connecting Obesity to Immune Vulnerability.Metabolites · 2026Article
- Single-Cell Insights Into Macrophage Subtypes in Pulmonary Infections.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Review
- The Role of Neutrophils in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Mechanisms and Clinical Significance.Journal of inflammation research · 2026Review
- Prediction of postoperative infection through early-stage salivary microbiota following kidney transplantation using machine learning techniques.Renal failure · 2025Article
- Article
- Immunometabolic Interactions in Obesity: Implications for Therapeutic Strategies.Biomedicines · 2025Review
- Pre-existing adipose tissue signaling profile related to obesity determines disease outcome of COVID-19: addressing obesity should be a priority for future pandemic preparedness.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2025Article
- Body fat predicts urinary tract infection in kidney transplant recipients: a prospective cohort study.Journal of nephrology · 2024Article
- The Impact of Obesity on the Host-Pathogen Interaction with Influenza Viruses - Novel Insights: Narrative Review.Diabetes, metabolic syndrome and obesity : targets and therapy · 2024Review
- The association between obesity with treatment duration, ICU length of stay and the risk of death in critically ill patients with COVID-19.Endocrinology, diabetes & metabolism · 2023Article
- Obesity dysregulates the pulmonary antiviral immune response.Nature communications · 2023Article
- Relationship between leptin and white blood cells: a potential role in infection susceptibility and severity-the Olivetti Heart Study.Internal and emergency medicine · 2023Article
- The liver-to-spleen ratio is a risk factor predicting oxygen demand in COVID-19 patients.Infectious medicine · 2023Article
- Implications of obesity and adiposopathy on respiratory infections; focus on emerging challenges.World journal of clinical cases · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The recent pandemic Sars-CoV2 infection and studies on previous influenza epidemic have drawn attention to the association between the obesity and infectious diseases susceptibility and worse outcome. Metabolic complications, nutritional aspects, physical inactivity, and a chronic unbalance in the hormonal and adipocytokine microenvironment are major determinants in the severity of viral infections in obesity. By these pleiotropic mechanisms obesity impairs immune surveillance and the higher leptin concentrations produced by adipose tissue and that characterize obesity substantially contribute to such immune response dysregulation. Indeed, leptin not only controls energy balance and body weight, but also plays a regulatory role in the interplay between energy metabolism and immune system. Since leptin receptor is expressed throughout the immune system, leptin may exert effects on cells of both innate and adaptive immune system. Chronic inflammatory states due to metabolic (i.e., obesity) as well as infectious diseases increase leptin concentrations and consequently lead to leptin resistance further fueling inflammation. Multiple factors, including inflammation and ER stress, contribute to leptin resistance. Thus, if leptin is recognized as one of the adipokines responsible for the low grade inflammation found in obesity, on the other hand, impairments of leptin signaling due to leptin resistance appear to blunt the immunologic effects of leptin and possibly contribute to impaired vaccine-induced immune responses. However, many aspects concerning leptin interactions with inflammation and immune system as well as the therapeutical approaches to overcome leptin resistance and reduced vaccine effectiveness in obesity remain a challenge for future research.
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