Risks of Morbid Obesity

If you are morbidly obese, you have a much greater risk of developing a variety of serious co-morbid medical conditions compared to individuals who are not obese. You may also develop health problems at a younger age.

What is a co-morbid condition?

There are two definitions of a co-morbid condition:  the presence of one or more disorders or diseases in addition to a primary disorder or disease; or, the presence of a disorder or disease that is caused by or otherwise related to another condition in the same patient.  The primary disease of morbid obesity can lead to several co-morbid conditions.  These include:

• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Type 2 diabetes
• Heart disease/Angina/Congestive heart failure
• Stroke
• Arthritis
• Asthma
• Sleep apnea
• Back and joint pain
• Pregnancy complications
• Menstrual irregularity and infertility in women
• Bladder problems
• Gallstones
• Kidney stones
• Liver disease
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Gout
• Poor heat tolerance
• Complications and infections after surgery
• Skin infections
• Depression and eating disorders
• Endometrial, breast, prostate, kidney, esophageal and colon cancers

Morbid obesity is second only to cigarette smoking as a leading cause of preventable death.