Obesity, a chronic disease needs long term medical intervention for effective management, say leading experts
Chennai, March 03, 2021:Obesity, a chronic disease, is one of the major public health problems affecting every region of the globe. Obesity is a complex chronic disease caused by multiple factors such as genetic, hormonal, environmental, etc. Its prevalence has been steadily increasing over the last 5 decades and can lead to many severe co-morbidities. Currently, India hasmore than 135 million people who are obese.
Commenting about the impact of obesity Dr. V Mohan, senior diabetologist said “In my40years of practice, nearly all the obese patients suffer from any one or a combination of the following conditions: type 2 diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, heart disease, joint pains, sleep apnea, liver and kidney diseases, etc. Obesity also leads to certain cancers like breast and ovaries in women and colon and pancreatic cancer in men. Many of them do not realize that obesity can be familial.Timely intervention is critical for effective management of obesity.”
Obesity is often dismissed as a simple lifestyle disease caused due to an individual’s eating habits and lack of physical activity. Patients, caregivers, and society often forget that obesity is a chronic condition that requires long term medical intervention for effective management.
Highlighting the risk of infections such as COVID-19 in people with obesity, Dr Nitin Kapoor said “People with obesityare more likely than normal-weight people to get other diseases that are independent risk factors for severe COVID-19, including heart disease, lung disease, and diabetes. They are also susceptible to metabolic syndrome, in which blood glucose levels, fat levels, or both are unhealthy and possibly lead to high blood pressure. In addition, obesity also has a direct impact in increasing the severity of COVID-19″.
Currently, there are multiple treatment options that help in obesity management. Similar to all chronic medical conditions, effective management of obesity requires a partnership between a highly motivated patient and a committed team of health professionals, which may include physicians, psychologists, physical and exercise therapists, dieticians, and other sub-specialists, depending on the co-morbidities of the individual patient. If promptly talked obesity is reversible and leads to better quality of life.
