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RESEARCH PRODUCT

There is a Relationship Between Obesity and Coronavirus Disease 2019 but More Information is Needed

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We read with particular interest your comments in Obesity regarding the Coronavirus‐19 (COVID‐19) epidemic (1) and a related manuscript by Simonnet et al. (2). Resolution of the specific relationship between obesity and COVID‐19, two existing public health epidemics, is critically needed to potentially prevent health systems worldwide from being overburdened. Few studies describing COVID‐19 with rates of obesity exist, and most are based on heterogeneous populations (Table 1) (2‐7). In cohort studies with COVID‐19 disease, obesity rates are generally reported as no higher than population‐based estimates; in contrast, subgroups of critically ill patients (e.g, intensive care unit (ICU)) report higher prevalence rates of obesity.