Obesity as a risk factor for complications in patients with COVID-19

Introduction: obesity is a disease that has been related to the pandemic of the new coronavirus, suggesting that obese people are at greater risk of suffering severe COVID-19 and its complications. Objective: to describe obesity as a risk factor for complications and death in patients with COVID-19. Methods: a total of 58 sources were reviewed in the Pubmed, SciELO and Ebsco databases, of which 33 citations in English, Portuguese and Spanish were used, all from the years 2020 and 2021. The search terms "obesity", "COVID-19", "mortality", "complications" were used. Results: obese patients infected with COVID-19 are more likely to develop more severe disease, require admission to the intensive care unit and the need for ventilation, due to scientifically demonstrated biological mechanisms. Conclusions: obesity is an independent risk factor for severe disease and death from COVID-19.