Together with elevated blood pressure and blood lipid levels and type 2 diabetes , obesity belongs to the so-called "affluence syndrome". Obesity is therefore not a disease in its own right. However, it significantly increases the risk of developing cardiovascular complications such as atherosclerosis or heart attacks and should therefore be diagnosed and treated at an early stage. Our doctors at Avi Medical are there to help you with this at all our locations.
Reduced to its essentials, the term obesity refers to a weight that is above the norm. However, this condition is more difficult to detect than it appears at first glance. After all, being overweight is not unhealthy per se. For example, the weight of an athletic person is often above the norm because muscles are heavier than fat.
Therefore, weight alone is not the only factor used to assess the presence of obesity. Factors such as the individual muscle and body fat percentage and their distribution should also be taken into account.
The first step in diagnosing obesity is to determine the individual body mass index (BMI). This is calculated from the body weight in kilograms in relation to the square of the body height in metres and lies between 18.5 and 24.9for normal-weight people.
From 25, so-called preadiposity is diagnosed. From 30 obesity grade I and from a value of 35 obesity grade II. If the BMI exceeds 40 , the diagnosis is obesity grade III (so-called obesity per magna).
The waist circumference is often measured to support the diagnosis of abdominal obesity. This is evident from a circumference of 88 cm for women and 102 cm for men.
The most common triggers of obesity include:
The typical accompanying symptoms of obesity are:
The first step in your obesity treatment is education and counselling on lifestyle changes. These include a reduction in daily calorie intake, an individual diet and physical exercise. These measures are usually sufficient to normalise your laboratory values.
However, if the obesity persists: Our experienced doctors at Avi Medical supplement the treatment with medication to regulate the secondary diseases caused by obesity (such as high blood pressure, diabetes, increased blood lipid levels).
The last resort for the most severe form of overweight, obesity per magna, is weight-reducing surgery performed in hospital.
