We have studied 316 class III obese patients (91% women), consecutively admitted in an obesity clinic from a University Hospital during 8 years. The mean±SD age was 37±10 years and body mass index (BMI) 47±6kg/m2. Half of them had a history of obesity since childhood or puberty. Arterial hypertension was detected in 66%, type 2 diabetes in 13.9%, impaired glucose tolerance in 16.8%; high cholesterol and triglyceride levels ( > or = 200mg/dl) in 33.5% and 8% respectively, low HDL-cholesterol (<40mg/dl) in 33.9% and high LDL-cholesterol ( > or = 100mg/dl) in 66.7%. Following a hypocaloric diet and increased physical activity, 5 and 10% decrease from initial body weight value was observed in 60 (26.6%) and 28 (12.4%) of 225 patients who returned for evaluation, respectively, in an average period of 20±17 months. In conclusion: morbid obesity is a difficult to treat disease highly associated with several cardiovascular risk factors even in the young patient.
Morbid obesity; Class III obesity; Metabolic complications; Arterial hypertension; Cardiovascular risk factors; Weight loss
