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Patients with severe\/extreme obesity undergoing BS were asked to complete an online multiple-choice questionnaire and to provide additional clinical information and blood biochemistry. Positive COVID-19 cases were defined by the combination of positive nasopharyngeal swab test results and\/or positive serological test results. Sociodemographic, clinical and behavioural characteristics were compared between positive and negative COVID-19 cases.<\/jats:p>\n          <\/jats:sec>\n          <jats:sec>\n            <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n            <jats:p>A total of 745 participants were enrolled (mean age 44.5\u2009\u00b1\u200910.5\u00a0years SD, 78% female). The proportion of positive COVID-19 cases was 20.4%. They were more likely to be health care workers, to have close contacts with confirmed cases, to use anti-inflammatory drugs, to have immune system disorders, to have previous CMV infection, to have lower cholesterol levels and to have less metabolic syndrome than negative cases. Infected participants significantly increased their use of national health resources for minor health problems. The majority of participants experienced flu-like symptoms and taste and smell disturbances. Only 9.6% were hospitalised and none required intubation.<\/jats:p>\n          <\/jats:sec>\n          <jats:sec>\n            <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n            <jats:p>Our results seem to support the evidence that patients undergoing BS have a low rate of severe SARS-CoV2. Further longitudinal studies in multiple obesity treatment centres are needed to more effectively monitor and control obesity in this specific population.<\/jats:p>\n          <\/jats:sec>\n          <jats:sec>\n            <jats:title>Graphical Abstract<\/jats:title>\n          <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1007\/s40618-024-02407-1","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,6,10]],"date-time":"2024-06-10T17:01:36Z","timestamp":1718038896000},"page":"173-189","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["The EPICOVID19-BS study: a web-based epidemiological survey in bariatric patients"],"prefix":"10.1007","volume":"48","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9093-7643","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"F.","family":"Prinelli","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"F.","family":"Adorni","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"A.","family":"Giovanelli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"M.","family":"Ravelli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"S.","family":"Ceresoli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"C.","family":"Asteria","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,6,10]]},"reference":[{"key":"2407_CR1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"4147","DOI":"10.2147\/DMSO.S441762","volume":"16","author":"Y Yang","year":"2023","unstructured":"Yang Y, Song Y, Hou D (2023) Obesity and COVID-19 pandemics: epidemiology, mechanisms, and management. 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Clinical data were collected by the IRCCS in a pseudonymized manner: each patient was assigned a unique and personal code, which was used to access the questionnaire. The code was used as an identification key to link the information collected through the questionnaires with the additional clinical tests. The clinical information was transferred to the ITB-CNR in a password-protected file. The file server was firewalled within the CNR intranet in a location inaccessible to unauthorised personnel. Data transfer was protected by an encryption\/decryption policy and password protection. In the final dataset, a unique key identified each subject to ensure anonymity. Data security was ensured by automatic backups. The EPICOVID19-BS study protocol was conducted in accordance with the guidelines laid down in the Declaration of Helsinki, as revised in 2013, and all procedures were approved by the Ethics Committee of the San Raffaele Hospital of Milan, IRCCS (95\/INT\/2021,12\/5\/2021). Participants were asked to give their informed consent the first time they accessed the web-based platform. Participants could only start the questionnaire after giving their consent. Participation was voluntary and no compensation was given to respondents.","order":3,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Ethical issues and confidentiality of the data"}},{"value":"When participants first accessed the web-based platform, they were informed of the purpose of the study, the data to be collected, and the methods of storage, and they filled in the informed consent form.","order":4,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Informed consent statement"}},{"value":"The EPICOVID19-BS study protocol was conducted in accordance with the guidelines laid down in the Declaration of Helsinki, as revised in 2013, and all procedures were approved by the Ethics Committee of the San Raffaele Hospital of Milan, IRCCS (protocol n. 95\/INT\/2021,12\/5\/2021). Data were handled and stored in accordance with the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR) 2016\/679, and data transfer was safeguarded by encrypting\/decrypting and password protection.","order":5,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Institutional review board statement"}}]}}