More and more people from Gorj are suffering from obesity. Most of them are in the records of the Endocrinology Department, within the County Emergency Hospital in Târgu Jiu.
Last year, 310 patients were admitted to the ward in Endocrinology and 457 in the Diabetes Department. This year, for the first 11 months, there were 244 patients in Endocrinology and 513 in Diabetes. Many people suffer from obesity, have problems with the thyroid gland or come to be treated for post-COVID diabetes. According to doctors, obesity is a condition that occurs when a person is overweight or obese. Once installed, the disease affects your health. Obesity is often associated with severe chronic diseases, including metabolic syndrome, arthritis and some cancers. In Romania, the incidence of obesity is about 17% in rural areas and 20% in urban areas, being more common in women, while in children it varies between 5 – 10%.
Major risks of obesity
Dr. Andreea Purec-Popescu, the chief physician of the Endocrinology Department at the Târgu Jiu County Emergency Hospital, claims that obesity carries a number of risks, some fatal. Obesity is the most well-known metabolic disease, with an increasing incidence. According to the WHO, it has recently affected a worrying percentage of over 50% of the adult population. Depending on the severity, degree and type of its distribution, obesity is associated with multiple complications:
Metabolic disorders
Over 80% of patients with type 2 diabetes also associate with obesity, other possible metabolic complications being those of protein metabolism, such as hyperuricemia and gout.
Cardiovascular complications such as high blood pressure or congestive heart failure. Obesity increases the risk of mortality by 162% compared to normal people by affecting lipid metabolism and the appearance of atherosclerosis.
Varicose veins of the lower limbs appear statistically in two thirds of the obese population.
Other complications
Respiratory complications caused by the forward movement of the body’s center of gravity, which causes a pronounced kyphosis, increased intra-abdominal pressure and a large mass of abdominal fat that raises the diaphragm. The predominant symptom is dyspnea which occurs frequently in mixed ventilatory dysfunction, pulmonary hypertension, respiratory failure, sleep apnea syndrome, Pickwick syndrome.
Complications of the musculoskeletal system such as chronic degenerative rheumatism and the development of osteoarthritis. Obesity is accompanied by a dystrophic condition of most tissues, of which we note in particular: thinning of the epidermis, loss of dermal elasticity, favoring the appearance of stretch marks, muscular hypotonia, weakening of tendons and myelo-tendon junctions, the latter factors can accelerate cartilage wear. articulate.
Hepatic and biliary complications
Not surprisingly, liver cirrhosis may be more common in obese people, probably due to a diet high in carbohydrates and low in protein and vitamin B1, contributing to liver damage, especially in obesity associated with alcoholism. In obese liver function disorders, as well as histological changes (related to the appearance of tissues) regress to extinction with weight loss. Another common complication is gallstones and the technical risks of treating it.
Psychic complications such as depression and phobias.
Obstetric and gynecological complications, infertility
Amenorrhea (lack of menstruation) or polycystic ovary syndrome affects a large number of obese women. Childbirth in obese women is accompanied by accidents and complications.
Oncological complications
Obesity is associated with at least 13 types of cancer, the most common being genital and breast cancers, cancers of the digestive tract.
Endocrine disorders. A number of hormonal disorders are associated with obesity, the most common of which are disorders of the thyroid gland (hypothyroidism, autoimmune thyroiditis) and adrenal gland (hypercorticism, Cushing’s syndrome).
Proper nutrition established from childhood, accompanied by regular physical activity can help prevent the development of obesity and its complications.
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