Body Mass Index and Gender Differences for Mortality in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients: A Path Analysis using a Brazilian National Database BMI and Gender Differences in COVID-19 Patients

Abstract Different studies have shown that both obesity and gender can act as direct risk factors or through mediation, favoring worse outcomes in COVID-19. However, it is not clear how these factors relate and act differently between men and women. The aim of this study is to assess mortality from COVID-19 and to verify the direct and indirect effects of clinical variables among people with obesity, according to gender and BMI categories, in Brazil. An observational, cross-sectional study was carried out using national database. Path analysis showed that while men showed a direct association between higher values ​​of BMI and death, women showed an indirect association, mediated by the need for admission to the ICU. This may be due to greater severity infection among men without adequate time for care in the ICU.