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Risk Factors of Morbid Obesity

According to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), obesity kills approximately 280,000 adult Americans every year. Morbid obesity is defined as having a Body Mass Index (BMI) greater than 40. Morbid obesity means that a person's weight has gotten high enough to put them at serious risk for health complications, or a substantially lower quality of life standard. Morbid obesity can lead to a host of diseases, and in many cases causes premature death. Luckily, even losing 10 percent of your body weight can significantly improve both your quality of life, as well as life span.

  1. Heart Disease

    • Heart disease is one of the largest risk factors for those who are morbidly obese. Obesity is often accompanied by a host of other problems including high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, and high triglyceride levels. All of these factors significantly increase the chances of suffering from heart disease leading to heart attack, angina and even sudden heart failure.

    Stroke

    • Stroke is also a common risk factor for morbid obesity. The high cholesterol and lack of exercise seen in many morbidly obese people can quickly lead to atherosclerosis. This narrowing of the arteries can create the right conditions for blood clots to form. Once these blood clots become dislodged from the artery, they can travel to the brain where the arteries are much thinner. The blood clot can then get stuck in brain artery and cause a serious stroke.

    Diabetes

    • Diabetes is another common risk factor for those who are morbidly obese. In fact, according to the National Institute of Health, 67 percent of those who have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes are considered overweight. Diabetes is a serious disorder that can lead to kidney failure, blindness and in many cases if not treated correctly, death.

    Cancer

    • Morbid obesity also raises the risk for developing many types of cancer. Cancers that obesity can play a factor in include prostate cancer, breast cancer, kidney cancer, gall bladder cancer and colon cancer.

    Lungs

    • Morbid obesity may also affect the body's ability to breathe. Fat that accumulates around the mid section and chest of a person's body can quickly begin to affect how much air the lungs are able to intake. Obesity can also contribute to future issues with asthma and bronchitis. Also, those who are morbidly obese are much more likely to suffer from sleep apnea.

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