Obesity and its Implications for COVID‐19 Mortality

To the Editor: A recent Journal of the American Medical Association viewpoint regarding fatalities in Italy associated with the new coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic failed to mention obesity as one of the preexisting diseases associated with death ((1)). It seems likely that the increased prevalence of obesity in older adults in Italy compared with China may account for the differences in mortality between the two countries. Furthermore, the rising prevalence of obesity in the United States and prior experience of the impact of obesity on mortality from H1N1 influenza should increase the sensitivity of clinicians caring for patients with obesity and COVID-19 to the need for aggressive treatment of such…