Mercy Weight Management Expert Dr. Kuldeep Singh Discusses Obesity and COVID-19

Patients with severe obesity are a more challenging population to manage in the intensive care setting and may struggle to recover if they develop the coronavirus, doctors say.

The majority of patients with obesity have at least one obesity-related co-morbidity. Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease are among the most common. The prevalence of pulmonary problems is higher than for normal weight individuals.

According to Kuldeep Singh, M.D., FACS, MBA, FASMBS, a top weight loss surgeon in Maryland, and Director of The Maryland Bariatric Center at Mercy, obesity compromises an already compromised individual.

“Obesity takes away the reserve in the body. When somebody is very obese, (their) lungs don’t breathe long enough. The big stomach pushes the diaphragm up. There are technical problems in putting the breathing tube in the patient’s mouth and then problems in putting the patient prone which is on the stomach,” Singh said.

Singh said if you are obese, this is a good time to get control of your weight to lessen complications if you were to contract the COVID-19 virus. 

View Mercy’s Dr. Kuldeep Singh’s interview regarding obesity and COVID-19, click here.