Posted on 09/22/2021 10:50:28 AM PDT by ConservativeMind
A recent study shows that low BMI and malnutrition are risk factors for in-hospital mortality in geriatric COVID-19 patients.
These results are important as information on the groups with the highest mortality, i.e. the very old and frail patients, is underrepresented. For example, obesity is a risk factor in COVID-19 infection in younger adults but we instead found that low BMI and malnutrition increased the risk of in-hospital mortality in geriatric COVID-19 patients who were mostly older than 75 years.
During the first COVID-19 wave in the spring 2020 in Sweden, researchers reported that in-hospital mortality was 24% among older hospitalized geriatric patients. The risk of death was almost doubled for patients classified as frail according to the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) as compared to non-frail older patients. In these patients, acute kidney injury and multimorbidity were also strong risk factors for death.
The role of body composition and nutritional status in COVID-19 pathology has not been characterized well in hospitalized older adults (>65 years). Therefore, in our study, we analyzed the associations of body mass index, and nutritional status assessed using Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (MNA-SF) with in-geriatric hospital mortality in older patients treated for COVID-19. Age range of the patients was from 65 to 105 years, and their median age was 83 years. Follow-up of survival was short, i.e., only the hospitalization period.
The major finding of this study was that indicators of undernutrition; i.e., underweight (BMI<18.5) and low MNA-SF scores (0–7), were related to short-term mortality in the COVID-19 patients. MNA-SF predicted death also in patients who were hospitalized for other causes. No evidence was found that obesity is a risk factor in COVID-19 infection in the older patients.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
There’s nothing healthy about being obese. Nothing at all. Every organ is affected one way or another.
In this study of thousands of people who had a median age of over eighty, it was most definitely helpful for COVID-19. It’s also helpful for people who have any moderately long infection which further reduces one wanting nourishment.
It may not be helpful for other conditions, but, then, the only people who die in traffic accidents are those who were on or by a vehicle. Let’s ban vehicles because they obviously are responsible for 100% of all traffic deaths, without exception.
All of these studies are wired to promote whatever they want it to.........
There’s no “there,” there. You have simply provided a search of random crud without context.
I have clicked on several of the them and see nothing pertaining to BMI of the elderly. There are references to obesity, but not low body weight and COVID-19.
Your list is irrelevant and obviously not well sourced.
absalom01 wrote: “My speculation would be that a better study, with sufficient funding to measure body comp would find that the elderly who have maintained muscle mass and tone would fare better across all metrics, including against the ‘Rona.”
Don’t doubt that one bit. I’ve gained 12 pounds lean body weight since last November. BTW, my resting heart rate today is 45 BPM. BP is 125/60. Not bad for 75. Of course that’s because of 4-5 hours a week in the gym lifting weights. Plus I walk 12-15 miles a week.
Sure fat is healthy if you like diabetes , high BP and wearing a CPAP to bed. Sore backs and worn out joints love the extra weight also.
I once worked within a senior living facility - some of the residents were lazy overweight just passing the days. others were super exercisers to the point of way too thin, boney, had their muscles super tight to the point of pain, potential injuries to happen.
Many elderly look to food cutting back as one thing they still can control but in cutting back on food, they start a vicious cycle of weakening and malnutrition.
may look fine all dressed but inside the body is deteriorating to keep itself going.
Thank goodness.
Still holding off on Fauci death jab #3. Get me a butternut donut.
There’s a reason it’s been said Growing older is not for the faint of heart. Takes a lot of courage and mental strength to keep going when your body doesn’t want you to as you once could.
You say that the obese die by their eighties-ninties
My experience is that they become thinner. So they are some of those overweight or normal elderly
Could be. Just my own observations, which are certainly not dispositive.
The past few years have certainly given me some insights into what one has to look forward to in those last decades of life. Not sure what to do with that knowledge, but it’s something to think about.
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