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Management of the Obese Patient

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Nutrition and Gastrointestinal Disease

Part of the book series: Clinical Gastroenterology ((CG))

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Summary

Overweight and obesity are the most common medical problems seen in primary care practice, affecting over two-thirds of adults and almost one-fifth of adolescents. Physicians must address and counsel patients to halt this escalating disease. The primary goal of lifestyle treatment is to improve obesity-related co-morbid conditions by relying on safe and effective diet and lifestyle modifications that produce a caloric deficit of 500 to 1000 kcal/day.

Patients with a body mass index (BMI) ⩾ 30 kg/m2 or with a BMI ⩾ 27 kg/m2 with concomitant obesity-related diseases should be considered for adjuvant pharmacologic therapy. The two medications approved by the FDA for long-term weight loss are sibutramine and orlistat. Surgical intervention is an option for patients with clinically severe obesity (BMI ⩾ 40 kg/m2 or ⩾ 35 kg/m2 with co-morbid conditions) judged by experienced clinicians to have a low probability of success with non-surgical measures, as demonstrated by failure in established weight control programs.

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Authors
  1. Julie L. Roth MD
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  2. Bethany M. Doerfler MS,RD
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Roth, J.L., Doerfler, B.M. (2008). Management of the Obese Patient. In: Nutrition and Gastrointestinal Disease. Clinical Gastroenterology. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-320-2_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-320-2_9

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-58829-808-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-59745-320-2

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