The rate of mortality is very high among the obese population. People with a BMI of over 32 are at a doubled risk of death. There are changes in the body's response to insulin (insulin resistance), resulting in a pro-inflammatory state and an increased tendency to thrombosis (prothrombotic state).
Illness associated with obesity may be dependent or independent of the distribution of adipose tissue. Central obesity or waist-predominant obesity in male is characterized by a high waist-hip ratio. The higher the hip waist ratio there is more risk factor for the metabolic syndrome, the amalgamation of a number of diseases and risk factors heavily predispose for cardiovascular diseases like diabetes mellitus type 2, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and triglyceride levels with combined hyperlipidemia.
Apart from the metabolic disorder obesity is also associated with a variety of other complications. It has not been clearly established to what extent these complications are caused directly by obesity itself, or have some other cause that causes obesity as well.
Cardiovascular diseases like congestive heart failure, enlarged heart and its associated arrhythmias and dizziness, and pulmonary embolism are some of the illness caused by obesity. Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), menstrual disorders, and infertility are very common in females who are obese. Gastrointestinal disorders like gastroesophageal reflux disease, fatty liver disease, cholelithiasis (gallstones), hernia, and colorectal cancer are also caused by obesity. Erectile dysfunction, urinary incontinence, chronic renal failure, breast cancer (female), uterine cancer (female), stretch marks, lymphedema, cellulitis, carbuncles, intertrigo, immobility, osteoarthritis, low back pain are some of the common illness caused by obesity. It is often seen that an obese person suffers from depression, low self esteem, social stigma and body dysmorphic disorder.
While being severely obese has many effects on health, those who are somewhat overweight face little increased mortality or morbidity. Osteoporosis and arthritis is known to occur less in slightly overweight people.
Hypothyroidism is a very common illness of obesity. It is caused ill function of thyroid gland and deficiencies of hormones from pituitary gland and hypothalamus gland. The early symptom of hypothyroidism is weight gain. The thyroid gland helps in metabolism of protein, fat and carbohydrate and in the digestive process. Now when the thyroid gland stops to function properly the whole body gets affected. As a result the food we eat do not get properly digested. And we start gaining weight which results in obesity in due course of time.
Cushing’s syndrome is an endocrine disorder caused by high levels of cortisol in the blood. It refers to a tumor in the pituitary gland. The symptoms of Cushing’s syndrome are very common in domestic animals particularly includes rapid weight gain around the face resulting in a round face usually referred to as moon face. |
