Even though obesity is usually tied to worse patient outcomes, it might be a different story for patients suffering from sepsis, according to researchers from University of Michigan Health System in Ann Arbor.
In a study of 1,404 Medicare beneficiaries, patients who weighed more were more likely to survive sepsis.
"Physicians expect obese patients to do poorly and this belief can affect the care and counseling they provide to patients and their families," Hallie Prescott, MD, the study's lead author, said in a news release. "Our study indicates obese sepsis patients actually have lower mortality and similar functional outcomes as normal-weight patients."
The findings suggest that excess weight could cause the body to respond differently to illnesses, according to the news release, and understanding these different responses could help providers improve sepsis care for all patients.