Epicardial Fat Inflammation in Severe COVID‐19

we read with great interest the paper by Deng et al (1). Obesity increases the risk of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) morbidity and mortality (2-3). However, Deng et al suggested that not simply obesity, but visceral adiposity is an independent risk factor for COVID-19 complications in young adults (1). Interestingly, visceral fat could serve as reservoir for the virus and amplify the inflammatory response (4-5). Deng et al reported computed tomography (CT) data of ectopic fat depots, such as liver fat and epicardial adipose tissue (EAT), in young COVID-19 patients (1). EAT, the visceral fat depot of the heart, has been suggested to play a role in COVID-19 myocardial inflammation (6-8).