Chandelier
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
Metabolic risk factors and long COVID: a cross-sectional study in Aotearoa New Zealand
Methods: Individuals aged 16 years and above who had confirmed or probable COVID-19 before December 2021 were eligible for inclusion. Metabolic risk factors were high body mass index (BMI, ≥25kg/m2), high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Logistic regression was used to estimate the association between metabolic risk factors and long COVID.
Results: Of the 990 survey respondents, 21.9% met the definition of long COVID. After adjusting for socio-demographic factors, COVID-19 vaccination and hospitalisation, high BMI was strongly associated with long COVID (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.35; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.33–4.17, p=0.003).
There was a suggestion of an association between heart disease and long COVID (aOR 4.31; 95% CI 0.80–23.3, p=0.090). No other metabolic factors were associated with long COVID. Among Māori, no associations were found between high BMI and long COVID compared with underweight/normal BMI.
Conclusion: High BMI as a risk factor adds to accumulating evidence on the aetiology of long COVID.
PDF | Web | DOI | New Zealand Medical Journal | Paywall (PDF available)
Yee, Bailey; McKenzie, Fiona; Ellison-Loschmann, Lis; Russell, Lynne; Jeffreys, Mona
Abstract
Aim: To describe the association between metabolic risk factors and the risk of developing long COVID in Aotearoa New Zealand.Methods: Individuals aged 16 years and above who had confirmed or probable COVID-19 before December 2021 were eligible for inclusion. Metabolic risk factors were high body mass index (BMI, ≥25kg/m2), high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Logistic regression was used to estimate the association between metabolic risk factors and long COVID.
Results: Of the 990 survey respondents, 21.9% met the definition of long COVID. After adjusting for socio-demographic factors, COVID-19 vaccination and hospitalisation, high BMI was strongly associated with long COVID (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.35; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.33–4.17, p=0.003).
There was a suggestion of an association between heart disease and long COVID (aOR 4.31; 95% CI 0.80–23.3, p=0.090). No other metabolic factors were associated with long COVID. Among Māori, no associations were found between high BMI and long COVID compared with underweight/normal BMI.
Conclusion: High BMI as a risk factor adds to accumulating evidence on the aetiology of long COVID.
PDF | Web | DOI | New Zealand Medical Journal | Paywall (PDF available)