bioworld - Medical Device Daily

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Classification of Obesity and Risks of Co-Morbidities
WHO Popular BMI Risk of
Classification Description (kg/m2) Co-Morbidities
Underweight Thin 25.0
Pre-obese Overweight 25 - 29.9 Increased
Obese Class I Obese 30.0 - 34.9 Moderate
Obese Class II Obese 35.0 - 39.9 Severe
Obese Class III Morbidly Obese > 40.0 Very severe
Source: World Health Organization.
percent
U.S. Obesity Prevalence by Age and Sex, 2005-2006
50
40
30
20
10
0
THE BIOWORLD AND MEDICAL DEVICE DAILY OBESITY REPORT
Men
Women
Total 20-39 40-59
Age in years
60+
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Center for
Health Statistics.
percent
Percentage of Disease Cases Related to Obesity
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Type II diabetes Cardiovascular
disease
Note: *Diagnosed among obese individuals
Source: Wellness International Network Ltd.
Breast and
colon cancer*
Gall bladder
surgery
High blood
pressure
As such, the obesity market represents
the next great health epidemic. In the
U.S. the majority of American adults
comprise the obesity market, while 40
percent of adults in the UK are in that
class. Globally, 1.2 billion adults are
overweight and more than 400 million
are obese, putting 25 percent of the
world’s population in the disease’s
grasp, with those figures projected to
respectively increase by mid-decade to
2.3 billion and 700 million, creating
the need for a huge treatment market
that is currently emerging at an everso-deliberate
pace.
Adult obesity rates in the U.S. have
tripled since 1960, while childhood
obesity rates have tripled since 1980,
according to data from the CDC.
Obesity is a disease with tentacles.
Aside from its own malicious effects, it
directly causes or contributes to more
than 100 other niggling-to-mortal
afflictions and diseases. Obesity is
proven to be a risk factor in the development
of diseases such as Type II diabetes,
heart disease and certain types
of cancer. There is research that indicates
its connection to mental illnesses
such as depression and Alzheimer’s
disease. Additionally, there are debatable
issues regarding the additive
aspect of being overweight. The chief
argument centers on whether addiction
to food or improper eating habits
causes obesity or if a genetic predisposition
for obesity or our human
response to external factors trigger the
compulsive craving for food.
The sheer numbers that distinguish its
prevalence qualify obesity for epidemic
status, especially since an epidemic does
not have to involve a disease. It is widespread
and growing and, it is observably
affecting the health of millions in a negative
way. The contraction of obesity
and overweight status is hereditary and
behavioral. It is not contagious, but it is
growing faster than even the common
cold, the world’s most pervasive communicable
affliction.