Health Inequities in Persons with Obesity & Type 2 Diabetes Exacerbated During COVID-19 Pandemic

Any viral infection can be a stressor for patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D), a population at risk for reduced immunity, however, “COVID-19 was huge,” said Shagun Bindlish, MD, medical director of One Medical in Dublin, California, in a recent interview with Patient Care Online. Dr Bindlish, joined by Dr Peminda K. Cabandugama, director of Digital Obesity at the Cleveland Clinic, sat down with Patient Care® to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on obesity-related T2D, including the effect of quarantine and social distancing measures on overall health and how inequities were exacerbated in certain patient populations. More of their conversation follows.