- According to estimates, it is expected that by 2030 there will be one billion people with obesity in the world.
- Ischemic heart disease is currently the leading cause of death worldwide.
- A new review article in the Mayo Clinic Journal of the American College of Cardiology describes how obesity affects common tests used to diagnose heart disease and impacts treatment.
The current lifestyle based on a sedentary lifestyle and the consumption of ultra-processed foods has several negative implications. One of the main ones is development of overweight and obesity, which increases the risk of heart disease. It is a severe problem that is becoming more serious and causes more affectations throughout the world.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the leading cause of death on the planet is ischemic heart disease. During 2019, it was responsible for 16% of all registered deaths. In fact, since 2000 the greatest increase in deaths corresponds to this disease, which has gone from more than 2 million deaths to 8.9 million. While stroke and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are the second and third leading causes of death.
Another risk of obesity
Now, although it was already known that obesity is a risk factor for heart disease, new data has now been obtained. People with excess body mass also face another problem because diagnostic checkups can be flawed.
A new review article in the Mayo Clinic Journal of the American College of Cardiology describes how obesity affects common tests used to diagnose heart disease and impacts treatment.
“Excess fat acts as a kind of filter and can skew test readings in a way that leads to underdiagnosis or overdiagnosis. Obesity affects virtually all diagnostic tests used in cardiology, such as EKGs, CT scans, MRIs, and echocardiograms,” says lead author Dr. Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, director of preventive cardiology at Mayo Clinic.
Procedural interventions such as leg stenting or cardiac surgery may be more difficult to perform in patients with significant obesity and may carry more complications, such as increased risk of wound site infection.
Common drug treatments for cardiovascular disease may need to be increased or decreased in patients with obesity. Some medications, such as beta-blockers, can affect a patient’s ability to lose weight, and Dr. Lopez-Jimenez stresses the importance of trying alternative approaches in order to prevent these patients from gaining weight or to help them lose weight of weight.
Weight loss recommendations can be difficult to follow because Patients with heart disease find it harder to move and have symptoms such as shortness of breath when exercising. These symptoms often discourage patients from being physically active, but Dr. Lopez-Jimenez mentions that exercise is important, not just for weight loss, but for heart health.
“Obesity is an important risk factor to address in patients with heart disease, and we must do something about it. The patient needs to know that his doctor can help him lose weight. In general, weight loss solutions come down to finding the right treatment for the patient.”
Standard weight loss programs involve a physical therapist, dietitian, and sometimes a psychologist. If this is not enough, Dr. Lopez-Jimenez maintains that there are other remedies, such as bariatric surgery and medications, that are effective in helping patients lose weight. Mayo Clinic recently started a multidisciplinary cardiometabolism program to address obesityreduce conditions related to it and help patients improve their quality of life.
How is obesity calculated?
It is important to accurately define a person’s level of obesity. Body mass index (a measure of body fat that takes into account height and weight) has long been used to define the severity of obesity. But people with a significant amount of muscle have a high body mass index.
People with low muscle mass and more fat in the waist area may have a low body mass index but be obese at normal weight. Measurements such as waist-hip ratio and waist circumference provide a much more accurate assessment of cardiovascular risk.
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