About Obesity
What is morbid obesity?
Obesity is most often defined as being 20% or more over your ideal body weight. Obesity affects an estimated 34 million Americans. Morbid Obesity is a much more severe form of obesity in which a person is 100 or more pounds overweight. Morbid Obesity affects an estimated 4 million Americans. Obesity is a common condition that can have negative health and social consequences.
What are the complications associated with obesity?
The health risks related to obesity are numerous. Obesity related medical conditions are the second leading cause of death in America today. They include:
- High Blood Pressure
- Shortness of Breath
- Heart Disease
- Stress
- Incontinence
- Congestive Heart Failure
- Irregular Menstrual Cycles
- Swelling in the Legs and Feet
- Problems with Infertility
- Diabetes
- Depression
- Sleep Apnea
- Arthritis
- Degenerative Joint Disease
- Gallbladder Disease
- Gout
- Asthma
- DVT (Blood Clots)
Social and economic factors are also complicated by obesity. The morbidly obese frequently have difficulty carrying out the tasks of daily living such as working at a job, caring for theirself and their family and just being able to move around easily and safely in their everyday environment.
