Morbid obesity, also referred to as severe obesity, is a serious medical condition which can only be cured with surgery. An individual is considered obese if he weights approximately 45.5 kg or 100% more than the ideal body weight. This is basically the morbid obesity definition established by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. It is estimated that between 3-5% of adult Americans are suffering from morbid obesity. Most of the times, severe obesity leads to complications that are life-threatening such as diabetes (the seventh leading cause of death in the United States) or coronary artery disease. If an individual is obese or not and the severity of his condition is calculated by using the BMI or body mass index. Another morbid obesity definition is related to the body mass index, meaning that an individual with a BMI higher than 40 is suffering from morbid obesity. In some cases, the morbid obesity BMI is considered above 30.
The main morbid obesity treatment is surgery. However, surgery for morbid obesity includes various options such as bariatric surgery or laparoscopic obesity surgery. Other types of surgery for morbid obesity are the vertical banded gastroplasty, gastric banding, and gastric bypass. The purpose of bariatric surgery is to permanently reduce the patients ability to eat too much and, along with following a healthy and restrictive diet, to help him lose weight faster and easier. Most of the patients with morbid obesity BMI higher than 30 find it very difficult, if not impossible, to lose weight without the help of surgery. Actually, the bariatric surgery reduces the capacity of holding food of the stomach from 2 quarts to 2 ounces. However, overeating may be dangerous for patients, leading to surgery complications. Due to the fact that it reduces the stomachs size, the different bariatric surgeries have the advantage that they will cause a quick weight loss. In order to qualify for bariatric surgery, the patient must have a morbit obesity BMI of 40 or higher.
Other morbid obesity treatment types are available, such as medication and healthy diets together with physical exercises. The most commonly used form of medication is the weight loss pills but they also have side effects and the healthy diet and physical exercise routine is still needed. It also takes longer to see the results. Even though there are alternative types of treatment, patients with morbid obesity get to surgery in the end because the alternative treatments results are neither as promising nor fast. It is just easier starting a healthy diet combined with physical activities for a quicker result.
Morbid obesity is a very severe medical condition which plays an important part in the development of other serious illnesses, which can be cured with surgery. In order to avoid morbid obesity, every obese patient is recommended to follow a healthy diet and to practice physical activity so he can maintain a healthy weight.