Aims We examined the link between BMI and risk of a positive test for SARS-CoV-2 and risk of COVID-19-related death among UK Biobank participants. Methods Among 4855 participants tested for SARS-CoV-2 in hospital, 839 were positive and of these 189 died from COVID-19. Poisson models with penalised thin plate splines were run relating exposures of interest to test positivity and case-fatality, adjusting for confounding factors. Results BMI was associated strongly with positive test, and risk of death related to COVID-19. The gradient of risk in relation to BMI was steeper in those under 70, compared with those aged 70 years or older for COVID-19 related death (P interaction = 0.03). BMI was more strongly related to test positivity (P interaction = 0.010) and death (P interaction = 0.002) in non-whites (predominantly South Asians and Afro-Caribbeans), compared with whites. Conclusions These data add support for adiposity being more strongly linked to COVID-19-related deaths in younger people and non-white ethnicities. If future studies confirm causality, lifestyle interventions to improve adiposity status may be important to reduce the risk of COVID-19 in all, but perhaps particularly, non-white communities. Highlights • BMI is strongly linked to risk for SARS-CoV-2 in hospital and COVID-19-related death among UK Biobank participants. • These associations were stronger for individuals under 70 versus those over 70 years of age at time of pandemic. • They were also stronger for non-whites (predominantly South Asians and Afro-Caribbeans), compared with whites.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, obesity, body mass index, 【초록키워드】 SARS-CoV-2, pandemic, UK biobank, hospital, risk, Intervention, Adiposity, death, age, BMI, association, Interaction, Support, risk of death, Older, Participants, individual, younger people, participant, Positive test, COVID-19-related death, confounding factors, positive, South Asian, risk of COVID-19, IMPROVE, Result, tested, examined, died, reduce, Poisson model, spline, strongly related, 【제목키워드】 Sex, COVID-19 infection, death, age, BMI, future risk,