SEVERE OR MORBID OBSESITY

Severe obesity is an excess of energy stored as fat. It is a disease of multifactorial origin: genetic, metabolic, psychological, social, cultural, etc. It is correlated to BMI (body mass index). Severe obesity is associated with increased premature mortality. Heavy people especially young die much earlier than thin young individuals.

Obesity is a disease complicated with other pathologies such as hypertension, diabetes, hypercolesterolemia, coronary and cardiac disease, sleeping apnea, gallbladder disorder, fatty liver, arthritis, varicose veins, post-flebitic syndrome with leg ulcers and loss of self-esteem. Obese women have a higher risk of having some type of cancer: breast, endometrial, cervical, ovarian and gallbladder. Obese men have a higher risk of colon cancer and prostate cancer.

The patient with severe obesity suffers discrimination and lack of respect by society and the same medical personnel.

Some basic daily activities:

Some basic daily activities are affected from time to time:

• To tie up shoelaces
• Airplane traveling
• Going out to a movie theater
• Cloth is more difficult to find and more expensive
• Personal hygiene is hard to achieve
• Difficult to find a job
• Not easy to keep up a relationship with the opposite sex

Body mass index (BMI)

How to know the grade of obesity?

The most practical way is calculating the body mass index that combines weight and height. It is obtained dividing weight (kilograms) by height times height.

There is no effective treatment for severe obesity either diets, medication, psychotherapy, etc.