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Original poster

My weight makes me more vulnerable than both of my health conditions?!

193 replies

Moriasroses · 07/12/2020 12:46

Okay, so I’m 35.

My BMI is 38 I have asthma and I have rheumatoid arthritis.

I saw a post on here yesterday and someone had posted a link to a Covid risk calculator.

I done it several times and my risk is lower at a lower weight.

So even at my current weight, with no health conditions I would be at more risk than if I was skinner with my health conditions.

This doesn’t seem right. Does it?!

OP posts:
Original poster
Moriasroses · 07/12/2020 12:47

I’m unmedicated for my arthritis.

OP posts:
FizzyDizzy121 · 07/12/2020 12:48

Sounds correct, we know that a higher BMI is a significant risk factor in COVID patients as to whether they get worse.

ChikiTIKI · 07/12/2020 12:49

Yes, unfortunately it does. People I know who have worked in intensive care have only seen obese people in there with covid, sorry. Most morbidly obese but my sister did see one person who was "just" obese.

It's very hard to use machines to breathe for people when there's so much weight on their chest (fat). And breathing with covid when very overweight is so hard, that's why they end up in ICU to begin with.

Originalsauce · 07/12/2020 12:50

Yes.

Obesity is a significant risk factor. We’ve taught ourselves it’s not really that bad to be overweight but the facts say otherwise. I would have thought the asthma would be significant but according to colleagues (NHS) it really is weight/age which affect the outcomes the most

ComtesseDeSpair · 07/12/2020 12:51

At the beginning it was thought that asthma was likely to make people more vulnerable; now we know more about Covid and how it affects people the evidence is that there’s likely no elevated risk, particularly for unmediated or mild asthma. Because it now appears that Covid places stress on vascular systems, and obese bodies are generally already under more vascular stress than slim ones, that’s where the elevated risk associated with obesity comes from.

Original poster
Moriasroses · 07/12/2020 12:51

@ChikiTIKI

Yes, unfortunately it does. People I know who have worked in intensive care have only seen obese people in there with covid, sorry. Most morbidly obese but my sister did see one person who was "just" obese.

It's very hard to use machines to breathe for people when there's so much weight on their chest (fat). And breathing with covid when very overweight is so hard, that's why they end up in ICU to begin with.

@ChikiTIKI

But this is just then saying that my weight would make it harder to breathe should I have severe Covid, but it doesn’t take into account that my conditions could firstly put me at risk form more severe symptoms with Covid?

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Originalsauce · 07/12/2020 12:52

@ChikiTIKI, yes two close friends work in ITU. All their very sick patients are overweight. The thin young covid patient is very rare without significant comorbidities

Originalsauce · 07/12/2020 12:53

Why would RA have an anything to do with Covid? Are you on immunosuppressants?

FourTeaFallOut · 07/12/2020 12:53

Yeah, honestly, I don't find that very surprising. Presumably you don't have severe asthma that would see you shielding on its own terms?

BecomeStronger · 07/12/2020 12:54

Yes it's not palatable but weight does seem to be the overwhelming risk factor. It's the same for all aspects of immunity, which is (one reason) why weight is also a risk for so many other conditions.

Original poster
Moriasroses · 07/12/2020 12:54

@ComtesseDeSpair

At the beginning it was thought that asthma was likely to make people more vulnerable; now we know more about Covid and how it affects people the evidence is that there’s likely no elevated risk, particularly for unmediated or mild asthma. Because it now appears that Covid places stress on vascular systems, and obese bodies are generally already under more vascular stress than slim ones, that’s where the elevated risk associated with obesity comes from.
@ComtesseDeSpair

But this is what surprises me, I would’ve thought that having a condition like Rheumatoid arthritis, which is a systemic inflammatory condition would put you at more of a risk than being over weight.

But if I was slimmer even with my health conditions my risk would still be lower than if I were my current weight with no health conditions.

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ElephantWhaleRabbit · 07/12/2020 12:55

Obesity IS a health problem, and I say that as someone with a high BMI.

FestiveChristmasLights · 07/12/2020 12:56

Obesity is one of the biggest risk factors.

I have RA and it’s thought that it’s not the illness but the medications to treat that cause the vulnerability.

microscopicbastard · 07/12/2020 12:56

My BMI is 28, great. That means I am at high risk. I am also 50 and have underlying health conditions.

Original poster
Moriasroses · 07/12/2020 12:57

@Originalsauce

Why would RA have an anything to do with Covid? Are you on immunosuppressants?
@Originalsauce

No. I’m not.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease. It causes systemic inflammation.

I’ve read a lot stating that Covid causes inflammation so surely already having an inflammatory condition would be worse than being overweight. Well that’s my thoughts anyway.

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Mintjulia · 07/12/2020 12:58

Asthma isn't seen as a very high risk factor for covid, and unmedicated RA, not at all. Your weight is a bigger risk factor. But in some ways that is good because a high BMI can be resolved. asthma and RA can't as far as I know.

But why does it matter? You as an individual are at greater risk. Take care of yourself Brew

Original poster
Moriasroses · 07/12/2020 12:58

I’m not saying that being obese isnt a risk factor as I obviously know it is, not just for Covid but many things.

I think I’m just a bit surprised that it’s more of a risk to me than my health conditions in terms of Covid.

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ComtesseDeSpair · 07/12/2020 13:00

@Moriasroses - and initially, that’s what the medical community believed as well. But a million odd infections later, we now have empirical evidence which shows that many conditions initially thought to elevate risk, actually don’t; and that there’s a strong correlation between weight and severity of Covid symptoms. The general consensus is that if you are obese, your body is working harder just to maintain itself than if you weren’t obese. If it then also has to contend with a virus which places additional stress on those overworked systems, you’re going to really struggle. That, in itself, shouldn’t be surprising.

Whilst you might be surprised, surely it’s a more positive outcome? You can’t do anything about having RA or asthma but you can do something about tour weight, and so have the ability to reduce your Covid risk.

Original poster
Moriasroses · 07/12/2020 13:02

@ComtesseDeSpair
Whilst you might be surprised, surely it’s a more positive outcome? You can’t do anything about having RA or asthma but you can do something about tour weight, and so have the ability to reduce your Covid risk

OP posts:
Original poster
Moriasroses · 07/12/2020 13:04

@ComtesseDeSpair

Whops, didn’t post my response.

Yeah I can definitely do something about my weight but my main anxieties around Covid is that I’ve believed that I’m more at risk because of my health conditions rather than something that I can actually control.

OP posts:
Fecking2020 · 07/12/2020 13:04

I'm overweight with a bmi of 28, I have asthma and I currently have coronavirus.
I would assume me being overweight by about a stone puts more stress on my heart/lungs etc so tied in with a virus that's attacking that system I would have thought weight is a bigger issue than my asthma.

Saying that I've lost my appetite completely and I'm already down a few pounds.

Look after yourself op

BecomeStronger · 07/12/2020 13:07

Surely it's a good thing that the illness is better understood now. Now we know that some of the issues that people were previously concerned about are not such a risk but that obesity is. The science has progressed.

CabinClose · 07/12/2020 13:08

@microscopicbastard I think you’ve misunderstood. A BMI of 28 does not make you high risk.

VanityWitch · 07/12/2020 13:09

I thought it was bmi of 40+ on that risk calculator? I did it myself (low risk luckily) and it only asked if I had bmi of 40 or more... I know this as I have no idea what my bmi is, but it's well below 40.

Original poster
Moriasroses · 07/12/2020 13:11

@VanityWitch

I thought it was bmi of 40+ on that risk calculator? I did it myself (low risk luckily) and it only asked if I had bmi of 40 or more... I know this as I have no idea what my bmi is, but it's well below 40.
@VanityWitch

The one I used doesn’t ask for your BMI, it asks for your height and weight.

www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/news/coronavirus-and-your-health/how-to-find-out-your-risk-when-it-comes-to-coronavirus

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