Obesity is associated with a greater number of long‐term post‐COVID symptoms and poor sleep quality: A multicentre case‐control study

Background Obesity is a risk factor associated with higher mortality at the acute phase of COVID‐19; however, its influence on post‐COVID symptoms is not known. Objective Our aim was to investigate if obesity is a risk factor for the presence of long‐term post‐COVID symptoms in hospitalised COVID‐19 survivors. Methods A multicentre case‐control study including patients hospitalised during the first wave of the pandemic was performed. Patients with obesity were recruited as cases. Two age‐ and sex‐matched patients without obesity per case were considered as controls. Clinical and hospitalisation data were collected from the hospital medical records. Patients were scheduled for a telephonic interview. A list of post‐COVID symptoms was systematically evaluated, but participants were free to report any symptom. Anxiety/depressive levels and sleep quality were evaluated with the hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS) and Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), respectively. Results Overall, 88 patients with obesity and 176 without obesity were assessed 7.2 months after the hospital discharge. The most prevalent post‐COVID symptoms were fatigue and dyspnea. No significant difference in the prevalence of fatigue, dyspnea, anxiety, depression and limitations of daily living activities was observed between people with and without obesity. Obesity was independently associated with a greater number of post‐COVID symptoms (IRR 1.56, 95% CI 1.24‐1.95, P  < .001) and poor sleep quality (OR 2.10, 95% CI 1.13‐3.83, P  = .02). Conclusions This study found that obesity was associated with a greater number of long‐term post‐COVID symptoms and poor sleep quality in hospitalised COVID‐19 patients.