Ali S, Khan OS, Youssef AM, Saba I, Alqahtani L, Alduhaim RA, Almesned R. Predicting COVID-19 outcomes with the Edmonton Obesity Staging System.
Ann Saudi Med 2024;
44:116-125. [PMID:
38615185 PMCID:
PMC11016153 DOI:
10.5144/0256-4947.2024.116]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/23/2023] [Indexed: 04/15/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Multiple studies have demonstrated a correlation between a high body mass index and discriminatory COVID-19 outcomes. Studies appear to indicate that there is a correlation between obesity-related comorbidities and less favorable outcomes.
OBJECTIVES
The primary aim of the current investigation is to conduct a thorough assessment of the correlation between BMI and comorbidities associated with obesity, and their potential impact on the severity and consequences of COVID-19 infection among patients receiving care in a tertiary healthcare setting.
DESIGN
Retrospective cohort.
SETTINGS
Tertiary rehabilitation center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
PATIENTS AND METHODS
The study included all individuals who received medical treatment and tested positive for COVID-19 by means of RT-PCR during the period from March to September 2020. COVID-19 patients were classified using Edmonton Obesity Staging System (EOSS).
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
COVID-19-related complications, including pneumonia and cytokine release syndrome, as well as the time length to COVID-19 negativization.
SAMPLE SIZE
315 patients.
RESULTS
The median (25th-75th percentiles) age of the patients was 38 (31.5-49) years old. Males outnumbered females, and 66% of patients were non-Saudis. Forty-eight patients (15.2%) had obesity class I, whereas 13 patients (4.1%) had class II. Thirty-two patients (10.2%) were classified as EOSS stage 1, 105 patients (33.3%) were classified as EOSS stage 2, and 25 patients (7.9%) were assigned to EOSS stage 3. Males predominated in EOSS stages 1 and 2, whereas females predominated in stage 3. In EOSS stage 3, 52% of cases had moderate severity and 48% had severe illness.
CONCLUSIONS
EOSS distinguishes the COVID-19 risks of poor outcomes beyond BMI. Patients who were overweight or obese but remained in the stage 1 of the EOSS had a lower risk of a poor COVID-19 outome than normal-weight patients. The health status of obese patients is a more precise indicator of the progression of COVID-19 during hospitalization than BMI alone.
LIMITATIONS
Given the limited capacity of urgent care facilities to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of comorbidities and other relevant outcomes in all patients, it is plausible that certain patients may have been erroneously classified with an EOSS stage 2 diagnosis, when in fact they ought to have been assigned a stage 3 diagnosis.
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