The effect of the visceral adiposity index on the severity of COVID-19 disease: results of a cross-sectional study

E.M. Yılmaz, E. Sehmen, H.N. Arslan, M.S. Bolat, Y. Yigit

Department of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Samsun Training and Research Hospital, Samsun, Turkey. yyigit@hamad.qa

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• Infectious Diseases
• Obesity

OBJECTIVE: Obesity has been identified as a contributing factor that exacerbates the severity of COVID-19 and is associated with an increased risk of mortality among hospitalized patients. Assessing visceral adipose tissue cannot be solely determined by obesity and body mass index (BMI) alone. In our study, we investigated the relationship between the visceral adiposity index (VAI) and the clinical severity of COVID-19.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 315 adult patients hospitalized with COVID-19 were included in the study. The cohort consisted of 146 male patients, and the median age was 60 (48-74) years. Comparative analyses were conducted to evaluate gender-based differences in VAI levels and the impact of VAI on the extent of radiological lung involvement.

RESULTS: The median VAI level was significantly higher in women compared to men (6.1 vs. 4.0, p<0.001). Furthermore, patients with radiologically severe lung involvement demonstrated a higher median VAI level compared to those with mild involvement (5.7 vs. 4.2, p=0.003). This difference was particularly notable among male patients, where the median VAI level was significantly higher. Logistic regression analysis revealed that each integer increase in the median VAI value was associated with a 1.1-fold (1.01-1.14) increase in the severity of radiological lung involvement (p=0.011).

CONCLUSIONS: Our study highlights a significant correlation between VAI and the clinical severity of COVID-19, particularly among male patients. The findings suggest that VAI, as an indicator of visceral adiposity, holds potential as a valuable tool for assessing COVID-19 severity and identifying high-risk individuals, particularly males.

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