Questions and Answers

Other indices used to estimate the degree and distribution of obesity include the 4 standard skin thicknesses (i.e., subscapular, triceps, biceps, suprailiac) and various anthropometric measures, of which waist and hip circumferences are the most important. Skinfold measurements are the least accurate means by which to assess obesity. Read More

Although the BMI typically correlates closely with percentage body fat in a curvilinear fashion, some important caveats apply to its interpretation. In mesomorphic (muscular) persons, BMIs that usually indicate overweight or mild obesity may be spurious, whereas, in some persons with sarcopenia (elderly individuals and persons of Asian descent, particularly from South Asia), a typically […] Read More

The body mass index (BMI), also known as the Quetelet index, is used far more commonly than the body fat percentage to define obesity. In general, BMI correlates closely with the degree of body fat in most settings; however, this correlation is weaker at low BMIs. An individual’s BMI is calculated as weight/height2, with weight […] Read More

Obesity represents a state of excess storage of body fat. Although similar, the term overweight is defined as an excess of body weight for height. Normal, healthy men have a body fat percentage of 15-20%, while normal, healthy women have a percentage of approximately 25-30%. However, because differences in weight among individuals are only partly […] Read More

The annual cost of managing obesity in the United States alone amounts to approximately $190.2 billion per year, or 20.6% of national health expenditures, according to a study.  Compared with a non-obese person, an obese person incurs $2741 more in medical costs (in 2005 dollars) annually. In addition, the annual cost of lost productivity due […] Read More

Obesity is a substantial public health crisis in the United States and in the rest of the industrialized world. The prevalence is increasing rapidly in numerous industrialized nations worldwide. This growing rate represents a pandemic that needs urgent attention if obesity’s potential toll on morbidity, mortality, and economics is to be avoided. Research into the […] Read More

Among the standard bariatric procedures are the following: Gastric bypass; Adjustable gastric banding; Gastric sleeve surgery; Vertical sleeve gastrectomy; Horizontal gastroplasty; Vertical-banded gastroplasty; Duodenal-switch procedures; Biliopancreatic bypass; Biliopancreatic diversion. Read More

Currently, the 3 major groups of drugs used to manage obesity are as follows: Centrally acting medications that impair dietary intake; Medications that act peripherally to impair dietary absorption; Medications that increase energy expenditure. Setmelanotide is the first drug approved for weight management in patients with rare genetic conditions (proopiomelanocortin [POMC], proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type […] Read More

Laboratory studies; Fasting lipid panel; Liver function studies; Thyroid function tests; Fasting glucose and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c). Read More

The clinician should also determine whether the patient has had any of the comorbidities related to obesity, including the following: Respiratory: Obstructive sleep apnea, greater predisposition to respiratory infections, increased incidence of bronchial asthma, and Pickwickian syndrome (obesity hypoventilation syndrome). Malignant: Reported association with endometrial (premenopausal), prostate, colon (in men), rectal (in men), breast (postmenopausal), […] Read More