What Is Morbid Obesity: 7 Key Points To Know

What is morbid obesity? Class III obesity, in other words also known as morbid obesity. Obesity is a condition in which a particular person’s body mass index, also referred to as BMI, is greater than 40.  BMI is the technique that experts use to identify whether a person is morbidly obese or not.

In this article, we will discuss more what morbid obesity is along with body fat, body mass index, morbid obesity, obesity-related health conditions, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, weight gain, weight loss surgery, bariatric surgery, ideal body weight, health problems, side effects of excess body weight, weight management.

Obesity hypoventilation syndrome, gastroesophageal reflux disease, some serious health conditions, heart disease control, life expectancy, severe obesity, healthy lifestyle, Rochester medical center, gastric bypass surgery, eating habits, health risks, eating behaviors, insulin resistance, internal medicine and many more things which are related to the what is morbid obesity and its disadvantages along with severe side effects.

1. What Is Morbid Obesity

Morbid obesity is commonly referred to as Class III obesity. Morbid obesity is a complex chronic ¹condition that leads to several serious health conditions, including obstructive sleep apnea, overweight adults, respiratory problems, high blood pressure, heart disease, and premature death. The young generation, with tension, and stress from many things, are at higher risk.

In this condition, people eat uncontrollably, which leads to the deposition of saturated and trans fats in various body parts. The best and most suitable measure to calculate Morbid obesity is the BMI of the particular person’s body. Further, we will also discuss how BMI is related to it. 

Body mass index BMI is very important in one life; with the help of body mass index BMI, healthcare providers and other physicians can distinguish people into different categories, this including underweight people, people who are fit, and people who are overweight range.

Many treatments, including certain medications, healthy body weight, and weight management, can help treat morbid obesity. Excess weight gain is harmful in many ways, which is why experts always advise maintaining a healthy weight range.

People diagnosed with body fat are advised to do more physical activity and focus a little more on health problems and health consequences. This is a short brief about what is morbid obesity. Let’s discuss what morbid obesity is and discuss its causes and treatment in detail.

2. What Is Morbid Obesity-Related Health Conditions

Morbid obesity is a chronic disease in which a person or individual has a body mass index of almost 40 or, in some cases, higher than this. Although the BMI scale or chart is not always true and accurate, so healthcare providers also go for other tests to confirm whether the person is suffering from morbid obesity or not. Another way to confirm morbid obesity is the measurement of waist circumference.

A morbidly obese person is more likely also to develop type 2 diabetes, many heart diseases, and excess weight and fat storage. But among all this, the good news is that morbid obesity is manageable and treatable. Morbidly obese can treat obesity by losing weight or by other treatments, including weight loss surgery.

A healthy lifestyle can improve the health conditions of a morbidly obese person. Excess weight or body fat can be lost by proper physical activity. Morbidly obese people find it a bit more difficult to lose weight than normal people.

3. Why Morbid Obesity Is Referred To As Class III Obesity

In 1963, two healthcare providers coined this morbid obesity term to explain the insurance reimbursement for the procedure known as intestinal bypass surgical therapy for individuals whose BMI is more than 40.

In medical terminology, the word morbid means disease or illness. Experts also use another terminology called comorbidity ²to denote illness and disease at the same period of time. In medical history and the world, the word morbid is suitable for describing class III obesity.

That is why Class III obesity is also referred to as morbid obesity. Obesity ranges above 40 BMI normal weight is a morbidly obese person. Weight loss or losing weight is the first advice for morbidly obese people.

4. What Is Body Mass Index Ration In Actual

Now the question arises what is BMI in actuality? BMI also referred sometimes body to as the mass ratio, is the very first screening test that measures the ratio between weight and height. The BMI can be easily calculated by dividing the weight number by the whole square of the height. 

BMI alone can not tell whole information about extra weight gain; some other tests, including physical exams, also need to tell about the correct and accurate situation of the individual. With the help of BMI, the population is divided into certain ranges.

1. Underweight– The person having no body stores fat and a BMI of around 18.5 comes under the underweight range.

2. Optimum range– The BMI range between 18.5 to around 24.9 comes under the optimum range.

3. Overweight– The range is approximately 25 to 29.9 comes under the overweight range. They had a little additional weight and were advised to burn more calories.

4. Class I obesity– The range between 30 to 34.9 is considered to be class I obesity.

5. Class II obesity– The approximate range between 35 to 39.9 is considered class II obesity.

6. Class III obesity– The range of more than almost 40 is referred to as class III obesity. People with class III obesity are at greater risk of heart disease. They also have other problems, including problems related to blood pressure. The overall health of these people is very bad.

5. Causes Of Morbid Obesity

There are a lot of causes behind morbid obesity. We already discussed what morbid obesity is. The main reason for fat deposition in the body is the imbalance and equal proportion between calorie ³uptake and utilization. Now let’s focus on the main causes behind morbid obesity in detail.

5.01. Genetic Factors

The very first and important cause of morbid obesity is the genetic factor. Obesity, according to some studies and experts, believes supposed to be a disease that can be passed from one generation to another. Multiple alleles are responsible for obesity in a particular individual.

5.02. Hormone Imbalances

The whole functions, including digestion, respiration, and metabolism, depend on the role of hormones. Hormones, in another way, play a significant role in individual bodies. The most important hormone used in weight loss and weight gain is cortisol, which signals the body when to take the diet and when to avoid it.

5.03. Culture Factors

Culture is another very crucial factor behind the development of morbid obesity nowadays. Due to a very busy life schedule, people are not paying attention to their bodies and their condition at all, and due to the scarcity of time, everyone is more dependent on junk and fast food. The consumption of junk and fast food is making people more unfit and is continuously increasing the changes of obesity.

5.04. Environmental Factors

Exposure to many different chemicals every day, also known as obesogens⁴, can change the expression of hormones and help increase fatty tissue or cells in the body.

6. Symptoms And Signs Of Morbid Obesity

There is nothing very specific about morbid obesity, which means there are no specific symptoms and signs of morbid obesity. The main sign and symptoms of morbid obesity or class III obesity are related to weight gain. The other sign and symptoms of morbid obesity are.

• BMI is more than 40.

• Deposition of body fat

• Very high blood pressure

• Difficulty in weight loss

These are common symptoms and signs of a person having morbid obesity or class III obesity. Although no need to worry proper treatment plan is available to treat this disease.

7. Diagnose Morbid Obesity

Weight determination with the help of BMI is the first and more way to identify morbid obesity in the individual. We already discussed what is morbid obesity and what is BMI ⁵in detail in this article.

There are criteria that experts make to identify whether a person is morbidly obese; in other words, we can say whether the person is weight according to height or not. The criteria are.

• BMI above 40.

• Obesity-related health problems.

• Bad health conditions.

• Diagnose body fatness

• Difficulty in weight loss.

The next way to diagnose morbid obesity is waist circumference. The normal waist circumference for women is almost 35 inches, and for men, the waist circumference should be 40 inches. If the waist circumference is above this, they belong in the obesity category. For such a person, less food consumption is allowed to decrease mobility.

8. Treatment Options

Morbid obesity is a curable disease, meaning sit has permanent treatment. Treating morbid obesity includes lifestyle changes, eating well, and avoiding junk and fast food.

Healthy heart eating along with some daily physical activities to lose weight. Proper rest is given to the body, eight-hour sleep, and stress management. If an individual adopts all these key things, they should get rid of obesity easily and efficiently.

Final Note

Here we have covered morbid obesity⁶, its different parameters related to morbid obesity, its causes, possible treatment, and its disadvantages. People are very confused between what is morbid obesity and what is class III obesity. So here is this article to clarify the concept between what is morbid obesity and class III obesity. 

This article provides all the information regarding what is morbid obesity, along with certain tips and precautions on how you can save from being an obese person.

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Last Updated on July 26, 2024 by Sathi Chakraborty, MSc Biology