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

[Moriasroses]

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?!

Obesity is itself a condition that causes chronic inflammation.

What Comtesse said. This is can be seen in a positive light, even though it might not feel like it now.

I do wonder if the poor outcomes being seen in the US are a result of the high numbers of obese people over there. Next to no publicly funded health care can't help either, but BMI must come into it too.

Bmi 28 is definitely overweight/obsese and this is a raised risk of complications compared to someone with equivalent underlying health concerns of bmi below 24. Partly because the treatments are more difficult to administer effectively and the doses of drugs required much higher.

www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/news/20101217/obesity-linked-lower-vitamin-d-levels#1

As vit d is crucial. I think the fat takes in the vit d and doesnt maybe release it.

A BMI of 28 is over weight and not obese, I haven't seen any research that suggest those who are overweight (as opposed to obese) are at greater risk or that they would have less favourable intubation or treatment outcomes and surely drug doses aren't too much changed by 4 BMI point? But, I'm all ears if I'm wrong.

There’s no indication that being overweight, rather than obese, causes worse outcomes. Some studies have even shown better outcomes for people in that category. BMI 28 is overweight, not obese.

@LIZS

Bmi 28 is definitely overweight/obsese and this is a raised risk of complications compared to someone with equivalent underlying health concerns of bmi below 24. Partly because the treatments are more difficult to administer effectively and the doses of drugs required much higher.

BMI of 28 is overweight, not obese.

There is an increased risk at BMI 28 vs 24, but not much. I ran numbers for me, without diabetes (which I do have), and BMI of 24/28 (which I can only dream of, btw)

BMI 24: risk of death 1 in 23,256
BMI 28: risk of death 1 in 23,810

I wouldn’t worry about the difference, tbh.

Whereas, by addressing my binge eating I have lost some weight since July, lowering my BMI from 42.9 to 39.6. My risk of dying has dropped by almost a quarter.

There is no magic cut-off point at which BMI makes a difference, it’s across the spectrum. But at the lower end of the scale the difference is minimal, and the higher up the scale you go, the more difference every point of BMI makes.

@CabinClose

There’s no indication that being overweight, rather than obese, causes worse outcomes. Some studies have even shown better outcomes for people in that category. BMI 28 is overweight, not obese.

For COVID specifically? I know that for other causes of ICU admittance, being slightly overweight can be an advantage - but for COVID, studies have shown that a BMI in the range of 24-28 is associated with worse outcomes than a BMI of less than 24:

care.diabetesjournals.org/content/diacare/early/2020/05/12/dc20-0576.full.pdf

Ah thanks @Moriasroses. That was the one I thought I did yesterday, but I actually hadn't done it properly .

I'm still low risk, but had to guess my weight. I don't really weigh myself.

@microscopicbastard

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

I believe high risk kicks in at BMI 40. At 28 you are not obese, just overweight.

PuzzledObserver your figures suggest a lower risk for those with a bni of 28 as opposed to 24 (unless I'm misreading). Which seems to tie in with better outcomes for overweight vs healthy weight. Really interesting.

Yes, @PowerslidePanda for Covid19 some studies have shown lower risks in the overweight category. You’ve linked to one study that doesn’t show that.

In general, I think a real ongoing issue for the future is that so many people had their idea of how 'at risk' they were set in March and have really struggled to adjust it since, even though in many cases it has been good news as we've had more information. You saw this on the threads about vaccine priorities, where people just could not accept that actually age really is the key risk factor, even if we're comparing otherwise healthy older people and younger people with any but a handful of underlying conditions. Similarly, I know several people with mild or moderate asthma who continue to believe that they will die if they contract Covid. Meanwhile, my in-laws believe that they don't 'count' as elevated risk, despite being in their 70s, because they go hiking several times a week so they're not the kind of old people they mean, they mean proper oldies.

I think it's going to be one of the big challenges of 'selling' the vaccination programme, particularly convincing people who actually are very low risk that it's a reasonable use of resources for them to be quite far down the vaccination list, rather than some sort of state-sponsored murder where they're being left to their doom.

@CabinClose

Yes, *@PowerslidePanda* for Covid19 some studies have shown lower risks in the overweight category. You’ve linked to one study that doesn’t show that.

Would love to see some of them, if you wouldn't mind sharing, please? I've had a look for myself but can only find studies that show overweight as greater risk than healthy weight, and obesity as greater risk than overweight.

Your weight is a health condition

@1940s

Your weight is a health condition

I’m 5ft 2 14st 11lb size 16
I was 11 stone pre pregnancy (gave birth in Feb)
Yes I have a high BMI but I don’t consider myself to be dangerously overweight or class it as a health condition.

Mild to moderate asthma and rheumatoid arthritis are both pretty common conditions (RA more common in older age groups) so if they caused a significant increase in Covid risk we would know by now.

I can see why you’d feel that baby weight that you have yet to lose is not quite the same health risk as entrenched long term obesity, but if you don’t act fast then you would be in danger of serious health issues.

From news reports here (on the continent), they are saying taht almost all the patients in intensive care are overweight. The statistic was striking

Obesity absolutely is a health condition, with a range of causes and it impacts on a broad range of functions, cardiometabolic, renal, inflammatory etc. I am borderline overweight/obese so I'm not 'othering', but neither am I ignoring the known health issues proven to be associated with obesity.

I think it is a little different for you as you have recently had a baby, but over the longer term, obesity is a health condition, with wide ranging effects, many of which can be serious.

@Deliaskis

I think it is a little different for you as you have recently had a baby, but over the longer term, obesity is a health condition, with wide ranging effects, many of which can be serious

Oh absolutely, I understand the risks of obesity.
I was just pointing out that in my own circumstances I don’t really consider myself obese (although based on my BMI I am)
Hopefully once the baby weight has shifted I’ll be out of the obese category.

5ft 2 and almost 15st but you don't consider your self dangerously overweight? I'm beginning to think this must be a wind up.

I understand the weight creeps on and it's not as simple as just losing it but having been faced with the figures how can you not understand this is an issue?

What are you wanting people so say? "Don't worry the science is wrong"?

@StealthPolarBear

PuzzledObserver your figures suggest a lower risk for those with a bni of 28 as opposed to 24 (unless I'm misreading). Which seems to tie in with better outcomes for overweight vs healthy weight. Really interesting.

You're right, I hadn't spotted that - maybe it's an example of that paradox pp mentioned where slightly overweight people can do better in ITU.

Whatever - the point is that, if your BMI is in the 20's, the difference which a change in weight makes is pretty inconsequential - 4 points in BMI is nearly 2 stone for me. Whereas if the change of 1.5 stone straddling a BMI of 40, the difference is 1/4, which I would say is pretty important

@Moriasroses

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.

Obesity is a chronic inflammation disease. Your body will have inflammation if you are obese

@BecomeStronger

5ft 2 and almost 15st but you don't consider your self dangerously overweight? I'm beginning to think this must be a wind up

For god sakes, back off!

I had a baby 9 months ago. I was 11 stone pre pregnancy.
I’ve gained 3stone 11 in the last 18 months.

I’m well aware of my weight but it’s not as if I’ve been living like this for years!

Jeeez

Sadly I suspect this is why we have an obsisity problem in the UK. The OP seems to be trying to push towards the other health issues and ignores what most other people are saying. This is absolutely something you can deal with and manage yourself.

I don’t mean to be harsh but I have had two children and am half your weight and 5 ft 4. Honestly this virus targets the obese and you can do something about it.