Morbid obesity is a critical health condition that has a serious and negative impact on people’s health and their lifespan. It can significantly lead to other critical health conditions, impacting the lives of the sufferers of this disease. Read to know more about morbid obesity or class III obesity and how it can be treated.
What is Class III Obesity?
People suffering from morbid obesity generally have a body mass index (BMI) of 35 or more than that. Also known as Class III obesity, this complex health condition gives birth to several health issues. Patients suffering from this disease experience various obesity-related health conditions.
Class III obesity may not always be detected accurately through BMI, and the healthcare provider may run some other tests, such as waist circumference measurement, to diagnose the condition. Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases are observed in patients suffering from morbid obesity. World Health Organization now uses the term class III obesity instead of morbid obesity to rule out the ambiguity related to the term ‘morbidity.’
Difference Between Obesity and Class III Obesity
Majorly, people with a body mass index between 30 and 39.9 are considered to have obesity. Whereas people with a BMI of 40 or above are regarded to have class III obesity.
Causes of Morbid Obesity
Morbid obesity is the result of accumulated unused calories stored in the human body as fat. Our body uses consumed calories to keep it functioning. Calories are an important part of our body that helps pump the heart and digest food. Unused calories are stored as fat, and excessive eating can build up more fat as we eat more calories than our body can utilize.
Obesity, specifically morbid obesity, is the result of too much fat built into our bodies. Apart from that, medications like antidepressants and health conditions such as hypothyroidism can also lead to class III or morbid obesity if not properly controlled.
Symptoms of Class III Obesity
Class III obesity doesn’t include any specific symptom except for an increased BMI. In many cases, it causes poor heart functioning, leading to heart disease. Type 2 diabetes, depression, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, and others are some health conditions that often result from morbid obesity.
Prevention and Treatment of Morbid Obesity
As we all know, prevention is better than cure; we can effectively manage obesity to help prevent the chances of having class III or morbid obesity. Unlike other general health conditions, treatment for class III obesity is individualized. Treatment plans are crafted depending on individual conditions and health goals. Here are the prevention and treatment options for morbid obesity-
Prevention of Class III Obesity
A rising BMI is the early indicator of class III obesity, making it easy for obese people to prevent the disease. As per WHO, every 1 in 8 people had obesity in 2022, reflecting the prevalence of this disease throughout the world. With certain preventive measures, the risk factors of developing obesity can be mitigated. Lifestyle changes are the only preventive step towards combating obesity.
Eating a healthy diet and keeping oneself active in exercising and other activities are the two most crucial and effective measures of preventing obesity, leading to morbid obesity. Reducing weight depending on age, sex, and other health conditions can help prevent this condition. Stress management and having a good amount of sleep are the other two ways of managing obesity.
How to Treat Morbid Obesity?
Morbid obesity can be treated with individual treatment options for each patient with different complications. One can decide upon their treatment after discussing with the health practitioner about their conditions and health goals. Obesity is often treated with a multi-faceted approach involving more than one treatment option. Let’s have a look at the available treatments for treating class III or morbid obesity.
Dietary and Lifestyle Changes
“Gaining Weight? You must concentrate on your diet.” It is the most common suggestion that you will receive from others if you have put on some extra pieces of fat. No matter how cliché this may sound, focusing on your dietary habits can actually help you reduce your weight. Weight-loss diet varies depending on people’s weight and any associated conditions. Apart from dietary changes, making other lifestyle changes can help obese patients fight morbid obesity. Here are some suggestions-
- Healthy Diet: Your healthcare provider or nutritionist can come up with a diet plan that best suits your condition. Reducing calorie intake is an effective way to curb your weight. However, before jumping into any diet, one must consult a dietician to know what they need to cut off and include in their diet.
- Exercises and Activities: Physical activity fosters healthy weight loss. Healthcare providers can help class III obese patients determine the type of activities they should do as per their health conditions.
- A Good Night’s Sleep: People suffering from sleep problems or having any sleep disorder are likely to gain weight. Managing your sleep with a healthy sleep circle can help you reduce weight.
- Managing Stress: Chronic stress or anxiety can also contribute to weight gain. Managing stress in healthy ways, such as through meditation, exercises, or other mind-soothing exercises, can help you minimize the risks of developing obesity.
Medications
Medicines for weight loss must be taken along with proper diet, exercise, and behavioral changes. Weight-loss medicines are given by healthcare professionals depending on the patient’s medical history and current medical condition. Some of the common medicines approved by the US Food and Drug Administration are- Liraglutide, Bupropion-naltrexone, Phentermine-topiramate, and others. However, weight-loss medicines do have their side effects and may not work for everyone.
Therapies
In order to help treat morbid obesity, healthcare providers often recommend patients join behavioral programs to customize their weight-loss plan. Behavioral therapies can help patients treat depression and anxiety resulting in weight gain. Therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectal behavioral therapy, and motivational interviewing are recommended to treat general obesity and class III obesity as well.
Surgical Treatment
Patients with class III obesity who are not responding to healthy diets and exercises or therapies are recommended to undergo surgeries. There are many surgical treatments to treat the issue-
- Sleeve Gastrectomy: A large portion of the stomach is removed through this surgery to make the morbid obesity patients feel full with little food in their stomach.
- Gastric Bypass Surgery: In this surgery, a small portion of the patient’s stomach is joined with the middle portion of the intestine to make them full with less food.
- Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty: Through this surgical procedure, stitches are placed on the stomach to reduce the amount of food in it. This helps the person lose weight with little food.
- Intragastric Balloon: With this unique surgical method, a water balloon is placed inside the stomach of a morbid obese to help reduce space in the stomach for large amounts of food.
Apart from these treatments, obesity can also be treated in many other ways. Hydrogel capsules are often prescribed to patients to help them feel full as a mode of treatment. The process of vagal nerve blockade is also applied to patients by implanting a device in the stomach to help the patients determine whether the stomach is full or empty through electrical pulses. The gastric aspirate is another process through which a tube is placed in the stomach to drain out things inside the stomach after meals.
Morbid obesity or class III obesity can lead to severe complications. However, with so many treatment options available to manage the condition, one can prevent or even cure the condition by helping achieve health goals.
