Overweight: A Protective Factor against Comorbidity in the Elderly

Giovanni Mario Pes, Giulia Licheri, Sara Soro, Nunzio Pio Longo, Roberta Salis, Giulia Tomassini, Caterina Niolu, Alessandra Errigo and Maria Pina Dore
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Giovanni Mario Pes: Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche, Chirurgiche e Sperimentali, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Giulia Licheri: Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche, Chirurgiche e Sperimentali, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Sara Soro: Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche, Chirurgiche e Sperimentali, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Nunzio Pio Longo: Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche, Chirurgiche e Sperimentali, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Roberta Salis: Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche, Chirurgiche e Sperimentali, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Giulia Tomassini: Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche, Chirurgiche e Sperimentali, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Caterina Niolu: Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche, Chirurgiche e Sperimentali, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Alessandra Errigo: Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Maria Pina Dore: Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche, Chirurgiche e Sperimentali, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 19, 1-10

Abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between body mass index (BMI) categories and comorbidity in 9067 patients (age range 18?94 years) who underwent upper digestive endoscopy in Northern Sardinia, Italy. The majority of participants (62.2%) had a BMI under 25 kg/m 2 , overweight was detected in 30.4%, and obesity (BMI ? 30 kg/m 2 ) in 7.4% of patients. The most frequent illness recorded was hypertension followed by cardiovascular and liver disease. The multivariate analysis, after adjusting for sex, residence, marital status, smoking habits, occupation and hospitalization detected an association between comorbidity and aging that was statistically significant and progressive. Among patients younger than 60 years ( n = 5612) the comorbidity risk was higher for BMI ranging 27.5?29.9 kg/m 2 compared with BMI 25.0?27.4 kg/m 2 (RR = 1.38; 95% CI 1.27?1.50 vs. RR = 0.86; 95% CI 0.81?0.90). In patients older than 60 years ( n = 3455) the risk was lower for a BMI in the range 27.5–29.9 kg/m 2 compared with a BMI in the range 25.0–27.4 kg/m 2 (RR = 1.11; 95% CI 1.05?1.18 vs. RR = 1.28; 95% CI 1.21?1.35). These results suggest that being moderately overweight is a marker of a healthy aging process and might protect, at least in part, against comorbidity. However, further research is needed to better understand this unexpected finding.

Keywords: Body height; comorbidity; Sardinia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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