ArticleObesity (Silver Spring, Md.)2022
BMI in early adulthood is associated with severe COVID-19 later in life: A prospective cohort study of 1.5 million Swedish men.
Article in Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.), 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 10 citations in OpenAlex.
- High BMI and low cardiorespiratory fitness in adolescence are associated with increased risk of severe bacterial infections in adulthood.Journal of internal medicine · 2026Article
- Body mass index and fitness in late adolescence and risk of cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and overall death after COVID-19.Obesity science & practice · 2024Article
- Occupational risks associated with severe COVID-19 disease and SARS-CoV-2 infection - a Swedish national case-control study conducted from October 2020 to December 2021.Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health · 2023Article
- Sex differences in patients with COVID-19 after bariatric surgery: a multicenter cross-sectional study.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- Article
- BMI in early adulthood is associated with severe COVID-19 later in life: A prospective cohort study of 1.5 million Swedish men.Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.) · 2022Article
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Authors and funding
10 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveOverweight and obesity have been identified as risk factors for severe COVID-19; however, prospective cohort studies investigating the association between overweight early in life and severity of COVID-19 are lacking.
methodsThis study included 1,551,670 Swedish men, born between 1950 and 1987, with BMI registered at age 18 years. They were followed until January 9, 2021. COVID-19 cases and comorbidities were identified through the National Patient, Intensive Care, and Cause of Death registries. Outcomes included the following: 1) hospitalization; 2) intensive care unit admission; and 3) death.
resultsThe study found 4,315 cases (mean age = 56.4 years [SD 8.8]) of patients hospitalized because of COVID-19, of which 729 were admitted to an intensive care unit, and altogether there were 224 deaths. The risk for hospital admission increased with higher values of BMI at age 18 years, despite adjustment for comorbidities, from an odds ratio (OR) of 1.19 (95% CI: 1.08-1.31) at BMI = 22.5 to 25 to an OR of 1.68 (95% CI: 1.39-2.02) at BMI ≥ 30, compared with BMI = 18.5 to 20. ORs for intensive care unit admission were 1.44 (95% CI: 1.13-1.84) at BMI = 22.5 to 25 and 2.61 (95% CI: 1.73-3.93) at BMI ≥ 30.
conclusionsHigher BMI in early adulthood was associated with severe COVID-19 many years later, with a risk increase starting already at BMI ≥ 22.5. This underlines the necessity of preventive actions against overweight in youth to offer protection against coming viral pandemics.
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