COVID-19 and post-disease features in patients with obesity

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the global population, causing significant economic effect, material damage, and irreparable human losses. Many countries were forced to promptly reorganize their healthcare system in order to save patients with COVID-19. The pathogenesis and specifics of the disease are not completely understood, but one pattern is particularly clear: COVID-19 tends to be more severe in people with obesity. Fatty tissue is known to support chronic low-grade inflammation and has its own endocrine activity. Over time, it became obvious that some patients still have consequences following the acute phase of COVID-19, which in some cases lead to irreversible changes in the body and reduced quality of life. This condition was called post-COVID syndrome. In this article, we review the long-term effects of COVID-19 on different body systems. We focused on pathogenic infection mechanisms and features of post-COVID syndrome in people with obesity.