Ana Beatriz Januário da Silva1, Waleska Maria Almeida Barros2, Beatriz Machado Silva3, Viviane de Oliveira Nogueira Souza4, Cláudia Jacques Lagranha5. 1. Graduate Program in Neuropsychiatry and Behavior Science, Medical Science Center, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil; Centro Integrado de Tecnologias Em Neurociência (CITENC), Centro Universitário Osman Lins (UNIFACOL), Vitoria de Santo Antao, PE, Brazil. Electronic address: beatriz.januario@ufpe.br. 2. Graduate Program in Neuropsychiatry and Behavior Science, Medical Science Center, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil; Departamento de Fisioterapia, Centro de Ciencias da Saúde, Centro Universitário Osman Lins (UNIFACOL), Vitoria de Santo Antao, PE, Brazil; Centro Integrado de Tecnologias Em Neurociência (CITENC), Centro Universitário Osman Lins (UNIFACOL), Vitoria de Santo Antao, PE, Brazil. Electronic address: waleska.barros@ufpe.br. 3. Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Centro Acadêmico Vitória, Vitória de Santo Antão, PE, Brazil; Departamento de Parasitologia, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Instituto Aggeu Magalhães, Recife, PE, Brazil. Electronic address: beatrizmachado09@outlook.com. 4. Department of Nutrition, CAV- Federal University of Pernambuco, Vitória de Santo Antão, PE, Brazil. Electronic address: viviane.nogueira@ufpe.br. 5. Graduate Program in Neuropsychiatry and Behavior Science, Medical Science Center, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil; Laboratory of Biochemistry and Exercise Biochemistry, Department of Physical Education and Sports Science, CAV- Federal University of Pernambuco, Vitória de Santo Antão, PE, Brazil. Electronic address: claudia.lagranha@ufpe.br.
Abstract
Entities:
Keywords:
Body mass index; COVID-19; Obesity; Underweight
We've read with great interest the study of authors Bouziotis, Arvanitakis e Preise (2022) who investigated the association between Body Mass Index (BMI) and in-hospital death in patients hospitalized for COVID-19 in many different regions in the world. The authors reached concluded that even after adjustment for chronic conditions proportionally associated with lower survival, the overweight could have a protective effect on patients with COVID-19 when compared with low BMI patients. Although the findings have great importance, we would highlight some questions about the classification for BMI it was utilized.Given the above, it's necessary to mention that for inclusion of patients for this study was considered the age ≥18 years, with a value of self-declared BMI on admission, as well as the date of admission and result. Thus, it was realized BMI's stratification, however, the values utilized for underweight, normal, overweight, and obese in elderly people (respectively 20.5, 20.5–24.99, 25–29.99, and ≥30) differ from important institutions' recommendations as World Health Organization [4] and Pan American Health Organization [3]; as well authors as [2]. In addition, the reference of a citation utilized for the endpoint to BMI's classification in their study, citation 15, does not consist in the reference list.Besides that, even though the observation realized by our collective about the endpoint for BMI classification, could be a risk of bias in the findings of authors [1]; we would highlight the most important of the stand point used by authors, bringing up discussions about underweight as a risk factor for malnutrition complications, muscle weakness and increased susceptibility to infections when compared to overweight patients.
Funding statement
This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
Author contributions
ABJS idealized the letter, writing of the manuscript. WMAB, BMS, VONS and CJL writing and revision of the manuscript.All authors read and approved the final version the manuscript.
Conflicts of interest
The authors have no conflicts of interest to report.