CME Information

Improving Clinical Management and Patient Outcomes Obesity and Cardiovascular Disease

Author(s)/Faculty: Peter P. Toth, MD, PhD
Release Date: 7/15/2014	Expiration Date: 7/14/2015
Credit Type: CME	Number of Credits: 0
Content Type: Monograph	Provider:
Obesity has increased dramatically in the past 20 years and is considered a health care epidemic in the United States. One-third of US adults are considered obese, having a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m², according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Serious health concerns associated with obesity include increased risk for hypertension, stroke, coronary heart disease, dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes, depression, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, infertility, and cancers of the colon, breast and endometrium. A BMI of ≥ 35 kg/m², increased waist circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio are predictors of increased risk for mortality. Evidence suggests that losing even 5% of body weight can produce clinically relevant decreases in insulin resistance and blood pressure and improvements in lipid profiles. Although some patients will successfully achieve weight loss with changes in diet and exercise alone, these people represent the minority, and a significant percentage of patients who are successful are unable to maintain weight loss over time. Staying current with evidence-based recommendations for treatment, including knowledge of the safety and efficacy of emerging therapeutic options, is vital to health care practitioners as they work with patients to develop optimal, individualized, long-term strategies for overcoming obesity. This publication series addresses the association between obesity and related comorbidities, provides suggestions for overcoming barriers in managing overweight patients, and discusses the safety, efficacy and appropriate use of newly approved medications to treat obesity.

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