Disease name: E66.9 Obesity, unspecified

ICD-10 Disease Code: E66- Overweight and obesity

Obesity and overweight are classified by a person having a BMI of over 30 and 25, respectively. However, BMI might be misleasing in some cases as people with high muscle mass may also have a high BMI. People suffering from obesity have excessive fat accumulation that impact their health.

Generally, obesity is caused by a higher intake of calories than what is depleted, leading to a growing accumulation of fat. However, obesity is also associated with several disorders, including cancers and genetic disorders.

Not all obesity cases are associated with genetic diseases. However, 4 diseases are classified as being directly related to obesity:

•  Prader-Willi syndrome

Prader-Willi is caused by a deletion or loss-of-function of several genes on chromosome 15. Patients suffering from the disease develop insatiable appetites, which over the years can lead to a risk of developing cardiovascular disease, diabetes and even dying.

• Bardet-Biedl syndrome

Bardet-Bield syndrome may arise through mutations in as many as 14 different genes. The disease is characterised by vision loss, extra fingers and obesity.

• Cohen syndrome

Cohen syndrome arises through a mutation in the VPS13B gene. Cohen syndrome leads to both physical and behavioural abnormalities in patients. The disease is primarily characterised by loss of sight, but it can also cause overly friendly behaviour, a low white blood cell count and obesity.

In 2016 1.9 billion adults were overweight and 650 million were obese (World Health Organisation data).

Symptoms of obesity are most often abnormal weight gain and fat accumulation on different parts of the body. Fat can be distributed differently around the body, and fat accumulation in some areas, e.g., around the waist, is more dangerous than others.

Obesity can also lead to a wide array of complications. These include diabetes type 2, high blood cholesterol, fatty liver, heart disease, and even cancer.

Treatment for obesity can vary greatly based on the underlying cause of the disease. Most often, treatment is focused towards healthy lifestyle changes, dietary changes, and medications. In more severe cases surgery can be an option. This includes fat reductions and gastric bypass.

• https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/
• https://www.who.int/
• https://www.cdc.gov/
• https://www.niddk.nih.gov/

Tags

Obesity