TO GET STARTED, YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE TERMS "OBESITY" AND "MORBID OBESITY" ARE USED TO DETERMINE YOUR ELIGIBILITY FOR WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY.
Obesity becomes "morbid" when it reaches the point of significantly increasing the risk of one or more obesity-related health conditions or serious diseases (also known as comorbidities). You are typically morbidly obese if you are 50 - 100% -- or 100 pounds above -- your ideal body weight. Alternatively, a BMI (body mass index) value greater than 39 may be used to diagnose morbid obesity. Morbid obesity is a chronic disease, meaning that its symptoms build slowly over an extended period of time.
The physical cause of obesity is simple. Calories taken in exceed calories expended. However, an effective treatment is not so simple. Weight loss surgery is a tool that helps you control the calorie intake. And by doing this, you hope to avoid the negative health effects of obesity. It is important however, to gain a fundamental understanding so you can communicate and make educated decisions about your obesity and how to treat it.
DETERMINE YOUR BODY MASS INDEX (BMI)
It is also important to understand the term "body mass index" or "BMI". BMI is a number calculated from a person’s weight and height. BMI provides a reliable indicator of body fatness for most people and is used by Doctors and Health Insurance companies to screen for weight categories (obesity or morbid obesity) that may lead to health problems.
HOW TO CALCULATE YOUR BODY MASS INDEX (BMI)
- work out your BMI
If you know your weight and height you can try the BMI calculator on the NHS website, please use the link below
http://www.nhs.uk/Tools/Pages/Healthyweightcalculator.aspx?Tag=Calculators
The categories are listed below
BMI Classification Health Risk Surgery Category
Under 18.5 Underweight Minimal n/a
18.5 - 24.9 Healthy Weight Minimal n/a
25 - 29.9 Overweight Increased cosmetic
30 - 34.9 Obese High cosmetic
35 - 39.9 Severely Obese Very High medically necessary when comorbidities exist
40 & over Morbidly Obese Extremely High usually medically necessary
A person with a BMI between 35.0 – 39.9 may be eligible for weight loss surgery if they have comorbidities (medical illnesses/diseases that are either caused by or contributed to by the excess weight that can result either in significant physical disability or even death.)
Morbidly Obese: "Morbid obesity" means that a person is either 50%-100% over normal weight, more than 100 pounds over normal weight, has a BMI of 40 or higher, or is sufficiently overweight to severely interfere with health or normal function.
Health Effects of Morbid Obesity
Severe obesity damages the body in many ways. Obesity adversely effects the mechanical, metabolic and physiological bodily functions. These "co-morbidities" affect nearly every organ in the body in some way, and produce serious secondary illnesses, which may also be life-threatening. The cumulative effect of these co-morbidities can interfere with a normal and productive life, cause endless frustration and can seriously shorten life as well. The following are just some of the health effects of morbid obesity:
Shortened Life Span
Dysmetabolic Syndrome X
Heart Disease
High Blood Pressure
High Blood Cholesterol
Diabetes Mellitus
Sleep Apnea Syndrome
Obesity Hypoventilation Syndrome
Respiratory Insufficiency
Heartburn - Reflux Disease and Reflux Nocturnal Aspiration
Asthma and Bronchitis
Gallbladder Disease
Stress Urinary Incontinence
Degenerative Disease of Lumbo-Sacral Spine
Degenerative Arthritis of Weight-Bearing Joints
Venous Stasis Disease
Emotional/Psychological Illness
Social Effects
You may have experienced one or more of these co-morbidities as a result of being obese and you may have become aware of other co-morbidities you did not know you had. Be sure to tell your surgeon about these. But the point is to grasp just how destructive the effects of obesity are to your mechanical, metabolic and physiological bodily functions and decide whether the benefits out weigh the risks in going through with weight loss surgery
For more information on the procedure for gastric banding please visit www.belvedereclinic.co.uk
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