Covid-19, obesity and disease severity
Lead Researchers: Dr Eoin Feeney, UCD School of Medicine and Dr Cecilia O'Kane, Queen’s University Belfast
People with higher body fat have a greater risk of severe disease and death if they are infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, but it is not clear why. Science Foundation Ireland and the Northern Ireland Department for Economy will fund a new project to examine the effects of high body mass index (BMI), a measure of overweight and obesity, on immune responses and the risk of prolonged symptoms in Covid-19. The project will also look at how changes to fat under the skin could link with worse outcomes. This will allow a better understanding of who is at risk of more serious symptoms and outcomes if they have Covid-19 and why.
What is the issue?
People who are overweight or obese have a higher risk of serious disease and even death if they are infected with SARS-CoV-2, but we don’t know why.
What will the research project do?
The study will recruit patients with normal and high BMI who have Covid-19 infection in Ireland, to compare samples of their blood for signs of a strong immune response, lung injury and inflammation and to follow up with them and check for long-term symptoms. The research will also take samples of fat from under the skin of people with and without Covid-19, to see if the virus is present in fat in those who are infected, and whether the fat is inflamed.
What will the impact be?
By understanding more about the immune response to Covid-19 in people with high BMI, the project will help to identify patients who are at risk of more severe and prolonged disease.
Dr Eoin Feeney, Consultant in Infectious Diseases, UCD School of Medicine, said: “We know elevated body mass index is associated with a greater risk of an adverse outcome in Covid-19, but the reasons behind this are unclear. We know that fat tissue itself can drive immune responses in certain individuals. This study, using many patients already recruited through the All Ireland Infectious Diseases Cohort, will examine how inflammation differs in people with lower and higher BMI.
"With our collaborators in Queen's University Belfast, we will examine whether individuals with higher BMI have evidence of markers of inflammation and lung injury in blood samples. Finally, we will examine fat tissue biopsies in people with and without Covid-19 to examine how fat may drive this inflammation and whether this is associated with differences in outcome. This key research will improve our understanding of the key inflammatory pathways associated with disease severity in Covid-19.”
Project Team
Lead Researchers: Dr Eoin Feeney, UCD
Co-applicant: Dr Cecilia O'Kane, Queen’s University Belfast
Collaborators:
Prof. Paddy Mallon
Organisation: St Vincent’s University Hospital / UCD School of Medicine
Job Title: Director of Centre for Experimental Pathogen Host Research / Consultant
in Infectious Diseases
Collaborator Type: Academic
Full Name: Prof. William Gallagher
Organisation: University College Dublin (UCD)
Job Title: Professor of Cancer Biology
Collaborator Type: Academic
Full Name: Dr. Arman Rahman
Organisation: University College Dublin (UCD)
Job Title: POI Translational Research and Engagement Manager
Collaborator Type: Academic
Full Name: Dr. Andrew Hogan
Organisation: National University of Ireland, Maynooth (NUIM)
Job Title: Lecturer in Immunology
Collaborator Type: Academic
Main Body of Proposal
Full Name: Prof. Donal O'Shea
Organisation: St Vincents University Hospital
Job Title: Consultant Endocrinologist; Associate Professor of Medicine
Collaborator Type: Academic
Full Name: Prof. Aurelie Fabre
Organisation: University College Dublin (UCD)
Job Title: Consultant Histopathologist
Collaborator Type: Academic
Full Name: Dr. Willard Tinago
Organisation: University College Dublin (UCD)
Job Title: Biostatistician
Collaborator Type: Academic
Full Name: Dr. Stefano Savinelli
Organisation: University College Dublin (UCD)
Job Title: Consultant Physician in Infectious Diseases
Collaborator Type: Academic
