Is BMI Higher in Younger Patients with COVID-19? Association Between BMI and COVID-19 Hospitalization by Age

Abstract

Objective: Obesity has been found to be a risk factor for hospitalization with coronavirus disease (COVID-19). This study investigated whether patients hospitalized with COVID-19 differed in BMI at older versus younger ages and whether trends were independent of diabetes and hypertension.

Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of patients hospitalized with moderate to severe COVID-19 at Northwestern Memorial Hospital from March 19, 2020, until April 4, 2020, was performed. Patients hospitalized with COVID-19 above and below the age of 50 were compared as well as those hospitalized without COVID-19.

Results: Patients younger than 50 years of age hospitalized with COVID-19 without diabetes or hypertension had mean BMI greater than those older than 50 years of age, with BMI 43.1 (95% CI: 34.5-51.7) versus 30.1 (95% CI: 27.7-32.5) (P = 0.02). Furthermore, BMI appeared to inversely correlate with increasing age among patients hospitalized with COVID-19. We did not detect the same difference or trend for patients hospitalized without COVID-19.

Conclusions: Younger patients (age < 50 years) with COVID-19 had higher mean BMI than older patients with COVID-19, with and without diabetes and hypertension. This trend did not exist in patients without COVID-19 hospitalized during the same time period.