Obese patients are 70% more likely to be hospitalized or die from infections: Study
Adults with obesity are 70% more likely to get severe infections that lead to hospitalization or death, with the most severe cases of the condition facing three times the risk, according to the new study results. The prospective multicohort study of more than 540,000 participants found that obesity may be the driving factor in up to 11% of deaths from infectious diseases. The study linked obesity to health risks including pneumonia, influenza, COVID-19, gastroenteritis and UTIs, along with fungal and parasitic infections. “I was surprised by the wide range of severe infections that obesity is associated with,” Mika Kivimäki, PhD,