Impact and Prevalence of Comorbidities and Complications on the Severity of COVID-19 in Association with Age, Gender, Obesity, and Pre-Existing Smoking: A Meta-Analysis

This meta-analysis, involving 85,812 patients across 33 studies, investigates the impact of various comorbidities and complications on the severity of COVID-19. It identifies several risk factors associated with severe COVID-19, including male gender, advanced age, pre-existing smoking, obesity, diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart disease, chronic kidney disease (CKD), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), malignancy, and cerebrovascular disease. Severe complications such as shock, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), acute kidney injury (AKI), and arrhythmia were also more prevalent in severe cases. The study concludes that these comorbidities and complications significantly increase the likelihood of severe COVID-19 and hinder recovery, highlighting the importance of managing these risk factors to reduce the disease's adverse effects.