The Obesity Epidemic
Obesity is a life-threatening disease afflicting patients in the United States at
an alarming rate. A quarter of the population is obese, and another 97 million Americans
are overweight or at risk of becoming obese. The prevalence of obesity has increased
more than 60% in the past decade. Given this aggressive increase in the rate of
obesity, experts predict that this national health crisis will only continue to
escalate.
Obesity and Health
Obesity contributes to 300,000 deaths each year, making it the second leading cause
of preventable death after smoking. In fact, it is more damaging to your health
than smoking and alcohol abuse.
The Health Risks of Obesity: Co-morbidities
Obesity is a major risk factor for serious medical conditions (co-morbidities),
such as:
- type 2 diabetes
- hypertension
- heart disease
- stroke
- gastroesophageal reflux disease
- sleep apnea
- respiratory problems
- cancer
- osteoarthritis
- infertility
- joint problems
Measuring Obesity: BMI
The most common measurement for obesity is the Body Mass Index (BMI). BMI is the
body weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters. While the
BMI does not actually measure body fat, it tends to correlate well with the degree
of obesity. The BMI is a good guideline, but your physician should always consider
your individual case.
The National Institutes of Health or N.I.H. has established guidelines for the criteria
which defines who is an appropriate candidate for bariatric surgery.
Patients with a BMI of 30 with one or more co-morbidities ARE considered a candidate
for weight loss surgery.
Patients with a BMI of 35 or higher are candidates regardless of the presence of
any co-morbidities. Calculate your BMI right now using our BMI calculator!
The N.I.H. recommendations have been widely adopted as the standard which insurance
companies use to determine eligibility for weight loss surgery. However, even if
you “qualify” by these standards, your insurance company may deny coverage based
upon policy limits or other exclusions. Click here to find out more about insurance coverage and how we
can help you with financing your surgery. Patients who are self-financing surgery
without insurance coverage are not subject to the NIH minimum BMI limitations
for surgery.
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