Obesity Related Risk Factors

Some risk factors or comorbidities associated with obesity place patients at a high absolute risk for subsequent mortality and require aggressive management; other conditions associated with obesity are less dangerous, but still require treatment.

High absolute risk factors include¹⁴: 

• Established coronary heart disease (CHD)
• Presence of other atherosclerotic diseases (peripheral arterial disease, abdominal aortic aneurysm, symptomatic carotid artery disease)
• Type 2 diabetes (fasting plasma glucose ≥126 mg/dL or 2-h postprandial plasma glucose ≥200 mg/dL)
• Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)
• Three or more of these multiple risk factors:
• Cigarette smoking
• Hypertension
• Lipid disorders (high TC, high LDL, low HDL, high TR)
• Impaired fasting glucose (IFG is between 110 and 125 mg/dL)
• Family history of early cardiovascular disease
• Age (male ≥45 years, female ≥55 years)
• Metabolic syndrome (atherogenic lipoprotein phenotype, hypertension, insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, prothrombotic states)

Other medical implications of obesity include¹¹:

• Asthma
• Gastroesophageal reflux (GERD)
• Gynecological abnormalities
• Osteoarthritis
• Gout
• Stress incontinence
• Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)
• Obstetric complications
• Low back pain
• Depression
• Immobility
• Some cancers such as, breast, colon, endometrial, kidney, and gallbladder
• Skin infections
• Accident proneness