ADIPOQ and obesity due to melanocortin 4 receptor deficiency: Accordingly, markedly reduced levels of adiponectin have been reported in patients with COVID-19 respiratory failure even after adjustment for BMI which implies that COVID-19 infection may independently itself reduce adiponectin levels in humans with respiratory failure [189]. The authors speculate that this fact has a specific implication for patients with obesity, which is a major risk factor for a negative clinical prognosis, and hypothesize that individuals with persistently low adiponectin levels are more prone to develop COVID-19-associated respiratory failure [189].