Morbid Obesity is when it reaches the point that one or more obesity-related health conditions result in significant physical disability or even death. Clinical Severe Obesity is also the same term as Morbid Obesity. Morbid Obesity is more or less defined as being more than 100 lbs over your ideal weight or has a Body Mass Index of 40 or more. It is considered a chronic disease, meaning that it develops over time.

The term morbid obesity, also called “clinically severe obesity” or “class-3” obesity - is a disease of excess body fat (adipose tissue), which can adversely affect general health, mobility and quality of life. Morbid obesity is typically defined as being 100 lbs. or more over ideal body weight or having a Body Mass Index of 40 or higher. According to the National Institutes of Health Consensus Report, morbid obesity is a serious disease and must be treated as such. It is a chronic disease, meaning that its symptoms build slowly over an extended period of time.

Morbid obesity is a significant risk factor for hypertension, cardiovascular disease, some cancers, diabetes, respiratory problems and musculo-skeletal disorders. Generally, the health threats of morbid obesity are: double risk of early death if your weight is more than twice your ideal, 5-7 times greater risk of death from diabetes or heart attack, high risk of “end-stage” (untreatable) obesity, numerous negative social, psychological and economic effects.

Causes of Morbid Obesity:

The causes of severe clinical obesity remain complex and varied, and typically include factors such as family genetic history, lifestyle and eating habits in childhood and adolescence, medication usage, calorie-intake, mood/depression, degree of physical activity, and cultural, socioeconomic and psychosocial factors. Although there are several clearly identifiable causes and contributory risk factors for morbid obesity, experts have been unable to pinpoint the relative importance of these risk factors in the ongoing obesity epidemic.

Treatment for Morbid Obesity:

1. The first recommendation is that people with a Body Mass Index (BMI) over 30 (the point at which you are classed as being obese) should be counseled on diet, exercise and behavioral changes to effect weight loss.

2. The second recommendation is that, where dieting fails, pharmacotherapy should be offered to the patient and the patient fully briefed on the possible side-effects of such treatment.

3. The third recommendation is that, where the patient opts for pharmacotherapy, drugs such as sibutramine, orlistat, phentermine, diethylpropion, fluoxetine an bupropion should be used in the first instant with stronger amphetamine and methamphetamine drugs being used selectively in severe cases of obesity

4. The fourth recommendation is that where a patient with a BMI of more than 40 (the point at which you are classed as being morbidly obese) fails to respond to dieting and, if chosen, to drug therapy and also shows signs of developing obesity-related complication, the patient should be considered for bariatric surgery.

5. The final recommendation is that patients considered suitable for gastric bypass surgery should only be referred to high-volume referral centers as evidence suggests that surgeons who not only specialize in weight loss surgery but who also perform such procedures on a frequent and regular basic meet with far fewer complications.


Read About Quick Weight Loss also Read about Fast Food and Morbid Obesity

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