A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Covid-19: Fat, Obesity, Inflammation, Ethnicity, and Sex Differences
Authors: Krams Indrikis A, Luoto Severi, Rantala Markus J, Joers Priit, Krama Tatjana
Publisher: MDPI
Publication year: 2020
Journal: Pathogens
Journal name in source: PATHOGENS
Journal acronym: PATHOGENS
Article number: ARTN 887
Volume: 9
Issue: 11
Number of pages: 10
eISSN: 2076-0817
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens9110887
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/51123392
Abstract
Although obesity is known to be a risk factor for COVID-19 severity, there is an urgent need to distinguish between different kinds of fat-visceral and subcutaneous fat-and their inflammation status in COVID-19. These different fat types have partially diverging biochemical roles in the human body, and they are differentially associated with SARS-CoV-2, which targets the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) for cell entry. ACE2 is highly expressed in adipose tissue, especially in visceral fat, suggesting an important role for this tissue in determining COVID-19 disease severity. In this perspective article, we discuss group differences in the amount of visceral fat levels and the extent of inflammation in adipocytes of visceral fat tissue, which may, in part, drive population, cross-national, ethnic, and sex differences in COVID-19 disease. It is vital to steer the scientific community's attention to the effects of visceral fat in creating individual and population differences in COVID-19 severity. This can help researchers unravel the reasons for the reported population, ethnic, and sex differences in COVID-19 severity and mortality.
Although obesity is known to be a risk factor for COVID-19 severity, there is an urgent need to distinguish between different kinds of fat-visceral and subcutaneous fat-and their inflammation status in COVID-19. These different fat types have partially diverging biochemical roles in the human body, and they are differentially associated with SARS-CoV-2, which targets the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) for cell entry. ACE2 is highly expressed in adipose tissue, especially in visceral fat, suggesting an important role for this tissue in determining COVID-19 disease severity. In this perspective article, we discuss group differences in the amount of visceral fat levels and the extent of inflammation in adipocytes of visceral fat tissue, which may, in part, drive population, cross-national, ethnic, and sex differences in COVID-19 disease. It is vital to steer the scientific community's attention to the effects of visceral fat in creating individual and population differences in COVID-19 severity. This can help researchers unravel the reasons for the reported population, ethnic, and sex differences in COVID-19 severity and mortality.
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