The Norwegian Institute of Public Health’s updated overview of Coronavirus research shows that one can be severely affected by the virus if one is older and has high body mass index (BMI).
“After the previous quick summary, BMI was listed as a risk factor, and this is confirmed in the research we have now reviewed. In the same way as age, we see that the risk increases with increasing BMI,” said Kjetil Gundro Brurberg, department director of health services at FHI, to Dagens Medisin.
“But then it should be added that several of these factors should be looked at individually. High BMI, for example, presents a greater risk of cardiovascular disease,” he added.
The new estimate of risk factors for serious impact of Covid-19 is FHI’s third summary of research in the field. Among the eleven studies, four are from the United States, three from China, two from the United Kingdom, one from Iran and one from Brazil. Seven are not peer-reviewed. The studies are so-called multivariate analyses, and they consider two or more factors.
The studies do not give a clear picture of the effects of gender and ethnicity.
“Some studies from the UK and the US find associations between ethnicity and risk of serious illness, but care should be taken to emphasize demographic factors that may be linked to socio-economic factors,” said Brurberg.
He emphasized that the new overview does not form the basis for changing the risk advice.
© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
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