Early stage research by a consortium of UK doctors and scientists looked at the effect of Covid-19 on almost 17,000 hospital patients at 166 hospitals.
The Coronavirus Clinical Characterisation Consortium found that death rates among obese patients, with a body mass index over 30, were 37 per cent higher than those for patients at a healthy weight.
The study did not disclose how many of the 16,749 patients were obese but said almost 75 per cent of coronavirus patients in intensive care are overweight, while people of a healthy weight only make up a minority.
Comparative figures are not available in the UAE but frontline doctors in Emirates said they also found that most overweight patients suffered more from Covid-19.
“If these patients get any critical illness it is a big challenge to manage them clinically,” said Dr Adel Al Sisi, medical director at Prime Hospital In Garhoud, where more than 100 patients have been treated since March.
“Obese patients often have a shorter neck which makes it difficult to insert a trachea tube into their airway if they need ventilation.
“Diagnostic imaging is also harder as the machines have a weight limit.
“Generally, these patients are harder to move around the hospital because of their size.”
In general those overweight and in poor health are slow to develop antibodies to a viral infection, experience poor recovery and are less likely to respond to antivirals and vaccines
Breathing problems and reduced lung function, common in overweight people, is considered a major factor in higher death rates in those with coronavirus.
University of Oxford scientists said patients with a larger stomach had a reduced lung capacity when lying down as the extra weight pushed the diaphragm upward making it harder to breathe.
Dr Al Sisi referenced a recent case of an Emirati man weighing 118 kilograms with a BMI of 40 who spent 17 days on a ventilator in the intensive care unit at Prime Hospital.
The patient was diagnosed with Covid-19 and also obstructive sleep apnoea that caused further breathing difficulties.
He is now recovering on a ward after spending longer in ICU than patients with a healthy weight.
Figures from the UK’s Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre supports the theory that obese patients are more likely to be hit hard by the virus.
Morbidly obese patients in intensive care, as a result of Covid-19, are double the number seen in the UK’s general population.
Medics in the US have recorded similar findings, where young obese patients with no other existing ailments have fallen seriously ill after contracting the virus.
“Obese patients seem to suffer more from complications of Covid-19 and are more likely to require intensive care if infected,” said Dr Amal Upadhyay, a gastroenterologist at Aster Hospital in Mankhool.
“Considering the prevalence of overweight people and obesity in the UAE, a large segment of the population is likely to be vulnerable.”
A 2018 online health assessment by Oman Insurance Company of 3,000 UAE residents found as many as 62 per cent were overweight.
“Unfortunately, obesity is more common among younger people in this region,” Dr Upadhyay said.
“While the elderly are more likely to fall sick with coronavirus, in this part of the world the epidemiology may differ so we may encounter even young people at risk from the virus.
“This is important from a point of view of the prevention and precautions we should take.”
Further research by the University of North Carolina in the US has suggested once a vaccine is found, obese people may not respond as well as those with a healthy weight.
The 2017 study found 10 per cent of morbidly obese people developed seasonal flu despite being vaccinated compared with just five per cent of those with a healthy weight.
Doctors said the body’s T cells that play a vital role in its immune system could be impaired in the obese.
A BMI reading is made by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height in metres squared, with anything over 24.9 considered overweight and a reading above 30 obese.
Dr Basil Ammori, a bariatric surgeon at Burjeel Hospital Abu Dhabi, said the impact on the obese is similar to what was recorded during previous pandemics.
“Obesity was similarly identified as an independent risk factor for higher rates of complications, ICU admissions and death during the 2009 H1N1 swine flu pandemic,” he said.
“This rings alarm bells for obese people in the UAE as well as for healthcare providers.”
Dr Ammori said another factor to consider is the consequences of impaired immunity in obese people and how they respond to viral infections.
“We know obese adults infected with flu shed the virus for a longer time compared to the non-obese,” he said.
“If similar observations are made with the coronavirus, this might necessitate longer periods of quarantine.
“In general those overweight and in poor health are slow to develop antibodies to a viral infection, experience poor recovery and are less likely to respond to of antivirals and vaccines.”
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
TECH%20SPECS%3A%20APPLE%20WATCH%20SERIES%208
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Zayed Sustainability Prize
MATCH INFO
Liverpool 3
Sadio Man 28'
Andrew Robertson 34'
Diogo Jota 88'
Arsenal 1
Lacazette 25'
Man of the match
Sadio Mane (Liverpool)
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLA
Price, base / as tested Dh150,900 / Dh173,600
Engine 2.0L inline four-cylinder
Transmission Seven-speed automatic
Power 211hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 1,200rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.4L / 100km
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Suggested picnic spots
Abu Dhabi
Umm Al Emarat Park
Yas Gateway Park
Delma Park
Al Bateen beach
Saadiyaat beach
The Corniche
Zayed Sports City
Dubai
Kite Beach
Zabeel Park
Al Nahda Pond Park
Mushrif Park
Safa Park
Al Mamzar Beach Park
Al Qudrah Lakes
Company profile
Company: Rent Your Wardrobe
Date started: May 2021
Founder: Mamta Arora
Based: Dubai
Sector: Clothes rental subscription
Stage: Bootstrapped, self-funded
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group B
Tottenham Hotspur 1 (Eriksen 80')
Inter Milan 0
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
The Specs
Price, base Dh379,000
Engine 2.9-litre, twin-turbo V6
Gearbox eight-speed automatic
Power 503bhp
Torque 443Nm
On sale now
THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Borussia Dortmund v Paderborn (11.30pm)
Saturday
Bayer Leverkusen v SC Freiburg (6.30pm)
Werder Bremen v Schalke (6.30pm)
Union Berlin v Borussia Monchengladbach (6.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Wolfsburg (6.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldof v Bayern Munich (6.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Cologne (9.30pm)
Sunday
Augsburg v Hertha Berlin (6.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Mainz (9pm)
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
BLACK%20ADAM
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Jaume%20Collet-Serra%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dwayne%20Johnson%2C%20Sarah%20Shahi%2C%20Viola%20Davis%2C%20Pierce%20Brosnan%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Team Angel Wolf Beach Blast takes place every Wednesday between 4:30pm and 5:30pm
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
Penguin Press
First-round leaderbaord
-5 C Conners (Can)
-3 B Koepka (US), K Bradley (US), V Hovland (Nor), A Wise (US), S Horsfield (Eng), C Davis (Aus);
-2 C Morikawa (US), M Laird (Sco), C Tringale (US)
Selected others: -1 P Casey (Eng), R Fowler (US), T Hatton (Eng)
Level B DeChambeau (US), J Rose (Eng)
1 L Westwood (Eng), J Spieth (US)
3 R McIlroy (NI)
4 D Johnson (US)
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
