Obesity is defined as a chronic secondary pathology with eccessive accumulation of tissue.
There are formulas that define optimal body weight and thus the overweight percentage.
The body mass index, or BMI ( Body Mass Index ), indicates if we are underweight, normal weight overweight or obese.
The ideal weight of a person is that which correlates with the minimum probability of becoming ill (cardio-vascular illnesses, tumours, diabetes, and hypertension).
Obesity is generally the result of an imbalance from the point of view of energy: calories introduced in food in excess of requirements and physical activity.
The alteration that leads to an inability of the organism to balance energetic input and output is still unknown.
Different etio-pathogenetic factors exist: genetic, congenital, acquired, environmental, pathological, and pharmacological.
In Italy , about half of adults are overwight ( BMI between 25 e 30) and about 10% are obese ( BMI > 30).
Finally there is a percentage of people who present a very important weight increase ( BMI > 40), for whom there are frequently problems correlated and/or caused by weight increase: hypertension, osteo-joint pathologies and respiratory disturbances.
In these cases it is important to implement all known remedies in order to reduce the overweight quota.
Obesity and surgery
Surgical intervention must represent an important option, to be reserved for selected cases.
In fact indications of surgical intervention are codified at the world level, and include:
- BMI higher than 40 kg/m 2
- BMI between 35 and 40 Kg/m², if an illness correlated to obesity (cardiovascular, respiratory, metabolic, and osteo-joint pathologies)
- age included between 18-65
- obesity present for at least 5 years
- at least two serious and documented attempts at dietetic and/or pharmacological therapies
- absence of serious endocrinological pathologies
- absence of serious psychiatric pathologies
- absence of alcohol or drug dependence
- acceptable operating risk
- compliance of the sick person.
It is important to bear in mind that the purpose of obesity surgery is not aesthetic, but it aims to reduce the BMI below 35 or 30 Kg/m² in order to avoid the rise of pathologies related to obesity, or to reduce/heal the same ones that the person was already affected by.
send an e-mail for further information
