COMLICATIONS OF OBESITY

1. PHYSICAL DISABILITY
The weight of an individual will influence on the load of
weight he has to carry.
This will lead to flat feet, osteoarthritis of knee & hip, Lumbar
spine.
• Osteoarthritis (OA) occurs when the smooth cartilage in
your body’s joints become worn out or damaged.
• OA tends to develop in the knees, hips, lower back, neck,
and hands. And the joints become inflamed, causing pain
and stiffness.
The vicious cycle
• Obesity and OA can be a vicious cycle. Carrying extra
weight causes more stress on the joints and tends to
accelerate the onset of OA.
• the amount of pressure the body weight puts on the joints
is, for every 10 pounds of extra weight, an additional 30
to 60 pounds of force is placed on the knees with each
step
• The women have a greater tendency in having Knee
arthritis when compared to men because of lower
deposition of fat.
• The fat that stores around the visceral organs interferes
with the functions of the organs thereby decreasing the
respiration and digestion rate.
2. METABOLIC DISORDER
• A close association between diabetes and obesity is seen
among the population.
• In obesity there is insulin resistance especially in muscles
and this condition precipitates into hyper insulinemia
because of impaired up take of insulin by the receptors in
the target organs.
• Plasma cholesterol is generally higher in obese
individuals and hence it leads to development of gall
stones.
• Excess cholesterol leads to the deposition in the arteries
and hence precipitates into a condition called
atherosclerosis.
• Gout is also a common factor - When people are
overweight or obese, their bodies produce more insulin.
• “Higher levels of insulin circulating throughout the body
inhibit uric acid elimination by the kidneys.
• This excess uric acid can lead to gout and gout attacks.
• Gout is a form of inflammatory arthritis that develops in
some people who have high levels of uric acid in the
blood.
• The acid can form needle-like crystals in a joint and
cause sudden, severe episodes of pain, tenderness,
redness, warmth and swelling.
3. CARDIOVASCULAR DISORDER

• Individuals in the obesity stage have a risk of

precipitating atherosclerosis.
• Individuals with obesity have an increase in fatty tissue
that increases their vascular resistance and in turn
increases the work the heart has to do to pump blood
throughout the body.
• Obesity also increases the incidence of varicose vein.
• Varicose veins are large, swollen veins that often appear
on the legs and feet. They happen when the valves in
the veins do not work properly, so the blood does not
flow effectively.
• Carrying extra pounds puts pressure on your veins.
Larger veins start to bulge as the blood pools in the leg
veins due to insufficient valves that are made worse by
the extra weight.

4. GASTROINTESTINAL DISTURBANCE
Obesity is associated with increased risk of GERD.
• Studies have shown that weight gain and an increase in
the size of one’s belly may either cause or worsen this
condition.
• Heartburn, also called GERD (gastroesophageal reflux
disease), occurs when stomach acid flows back into the
oesophagus, which is the food pipe that connects the
throat and stomach.
• Heartburn symptoms often occur shortly after eating and
can last for a few minutes or even hours.
• People may complain of a burning sensation in the chest
or throat, a sour or bitter taste in their mouth or even
cough symptoms.
• The increased risk of GERD is thought to be due to
excess belly fat causing pressure on the stomach, the
development of a hiatal hernia that causes the backflow
of acid or hormonal changes like an increase in estrogen
exposure that can occur in individuals who are affected
by obesity.
• A hiatal hernia occurs when the upper part of your
stomach bulges through the large muscle separating your
abdomen and chest (diaphragm).
• large hiatal hernia can allow food and acid to back up
into your oesophagus, leading to heartburn.

5. OBSTERICAL RISK
Obesity during pregnancy puts you at risk of several serious
health problems:
• Gestational diabetes is diabetes that is first diagnosed
during pregnancy. This condition can increase the risk of
having a caesarean delivery. Women who have had
gestational diabetes also have a higher risk of having
diabetes in the future, as do their children. Obese women
are screened for gestational diabetes early in pregnancy
and also may be screened later in pregnancy as well.
• Preeclampsia is a high blood pressure disorder that can
occur during pregnancy or after pregnancy. It is a serious
illness that affects a woman’s entire body. The kidneys
and liver may fail. Preeclampsia can lead to seizures, a
condition called eclampsia. In rare cases, stroke can
occur. Severe cases need emergency treatment to avoid
these complications. The baby may need to be delivered
early.
• Sleep apnoea is a condition in which a person stops
breathing for short periods during sleep. Sleep apnoea is
associated with obesity. During pregnancy, sleep apnoea
not only can cause fatigue but also increases the risk of
high blood pressure, preeclampsia, eclampsia, and heart
and lung disorders.

Obesity increases the risk of the following problems during

pregnancy:
• Pregnancy loss—Obese women have an increased risk
of pregnancy loss (miscarriage) compared with women
of normal weight.
• Birth defects—Babies born to obese women have an
increased risk of having birth defects, such as heart
defects and neural tube defects.
• Problems with diagnostic tests—Having too much
body fat can make it difficult to see certain problems
with the baby’s anatomy on an ultrasound exam.
Checking the baby’s heart rate during labor also may be
more difficult if you are obese.
• Macrosomia—In this condition, the baby is larger than
normal. This can increase the risk of the baby being
injured during birth. For example, the baby’s shoulder
can become stuck during delivery. Macrosomia also
increases the risk of caesarean delivery. Infants born with
too much body fat have a greater chance of being obese
later in life.
• Preterm birth—Problems associated with a woman’s
obesity, such as preeclampsia, may lead to a medically
indicated preterm birth. This means that the baby is
delivered early for a medical reason. Preterm babies are
not as fully developed as babies who are born after 39
weeks of pregnancy. As a result, they have an increased
risk of short-term and long-term health problems.
• Stillbirth—The higher the woman’s BMI, the greater the
risk of stillbirth.