Obesity link to sepsis

Thursday October 5th, 2017

Obesity is an important risk factor for sepsis, according to a Norwegian study.

Even people who are just slightly overweight face a 30% increased risk of developing the problem, researchers found.

And those who are severely obese face three times the risk of those of normal weight, they report.

Smoking and lack of physical activity also add significantly to the risk, they found.

The findings, reported in the International Journal of Epidemiology, come from an analysis of nearly 2,000 people who developed sepsis in the Nord-Trøndelag region of Norway.

Researcher Dr Julie Paulsen, of the Mid-Norway Centre for Sepsis Research, said: "We’re finding that obesity is an important risk factor for sepsis.

“Slightly overweight individuals with a Body Mass Index between 30 and 35 increased their risk by 30 per cent, as compared with people of normal weight. People with a BMI over 40 had three times as high a risk as those of normal weight.

“People with a BMI over 35 who smoke and are less physically active had almost five times the risk of serious blood poisoning as physically active normal-weight non-smokers."

Julie Paulsen, et al. Associations of obesity and lifestyle with the risk of mortality of bloodstream infection in a general population: a 15-year follow-up of 64.027 individuals in the HUNT study Int J Epidemiol June 2017.

Tags: A&E | Diet & Food | Europe | Fitness | MRSA & Hygiene

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