The coronavirus can multiply in human adipose tissue and cause inflammation. This is the conclusion reached by the authors of a new study published on the bioRxiv portal.

A group of researchers from the United States, Germany and Switzerland studied the adipose tissue of people who did not have a coronavirus infection and compared it with tissue samples from patients who died from COVID-19.

Studies have shown the presence of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in macrophages - cells of the immune system, as well as in adipocytes - the cells that make up adipose tissue - from several fat depots, with a concomitant increase in the inflammatory profile.

This could explain the link between obesity and severe COVID-19, scientists said.