Symptom: Obesity

Introduction: Obesity

Excess body weight can indicate obesity as an independent condition. Obesity can also arise due to various underlying conditions. Excess weight or unexplained weight gain need careful professional medical attention for correct diagnosis.

» Review Causes of Obesity: full list

Causes of Obesity:

The following medical conditions are some of the possible causes of Obesity. There are likely to be other possible causes, so ask your doctor about your symptoms.

• Middle age spread
• Reduced metabolic rate
• Pituitary gland disease
• Pituitary gland tumor
• Pituitary gland cancer
• Underactive thyroid gland
• Prader-Willi syndrome
• Syndrome X
• Stein-Leventhal syndrome
• Frohlich syndrome
• Laurence-Moon-Biedl syndrome

See full list of 195 causes of Obesity

» Review Causes of Obesity: full list

Causes of Types of Obesity:

Review the causes of these more specific types of Obesity:

• Weight gain (303 causes)

More types of Obesity

Obesity: Multiple Symptom Checker

Listed below are some combinations of symptoms associated with Obesity, as listed in our database. Visit the Multiple Symptoms Checker, to add and remove symptoms and research your condition.

Multiple Symptom Checker - Other Symptoms

• Obesity: Multiple Symptom Checker

Multiple Symptom Checker Combinations

• Obesity and Weight gain (163 causes)
• Obesity and Body symptoms (160 causes)
• Obesity and Weight symptoms (159 causes)
• Obesity and Behavioral symptoms (103 causes)
• Obesity and Head symptoms (98 causes)
• Obesity and Sexual symptoms (87 causes)
• Obesity and Personality symptoms (85 causes)
• Obesity and Mental problems (83 causes)
• Obesity and Face symptoms (81 causes)
• Obesity and Infant symptoms (77 causes)
• Obesity and Growth symptoms (74 causes)
• Obesity and Poor growth (68 causes)
• Obesity and Muscle symptoms (68 causes)
• Obesity and Nerve symptoms (68 causes)
• Obesity and Muscle weakness (66 causes)
• Obesity and Sensations (63 causes)
• Obesity and Swelling symptoms (61 causes)
• Obesity and Weakness (61 causes)
• Obesity and Female sexual symptoms (60 causes)
• Obesity and Short stature (58 causes)

See full list of 1329 Multiple Symptom Checker combinations related to Obesity

Home Diagnostic Testing and Obesity

Home medical tests possibly related to Obesity:

• Diet & Weight Loss: Home Testing:
  • Home Weight Testing
  • Home Body Fat Testing (BMI)
  • Home Body Fat Monitoring
  • Home Fitness Testing
• Diabetes: Related Home Testing:
  • Home Diabetes Tests
  • Home Blood Glucose Tests
  • Home Urine Glucose Tests
  • Home Urine Ketone Tests
  • Home Diabetes HbA1c Tests
  • Home Microalbumin Tests (Kidney)
  • Home Urine Protein Tests (Kidney)
  • Home Kidney Tests
  • Home Eye Tests

Causes of General Symptom Types

Research the causes of these more general types of symptom:

• Weight gain (303 causes)
• Common symptoms (4555 causes)
• Body symptoms (2040 causes)
• Weight symptoms (1251 causes)

Causes of Similar Symptoms to Obesity

Research the causes of these symptoms that are similar to, or related to, the symptom Obesity:

• Weight gain (303 causes)
• Tallness (79 causes)

Diagnostic Guides for Obesity

Medical Books Excerpts Read excerpts from published book sections related to Obesity from the following published medical books for more detailed information about Obesity. Free access (no registration): read all online diagnostic book sections about Obesity

Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Misdiagnosis and Obesity

Metabolic syndrome often undiagnosed: Metabolic syndrome, also known as Syndrome X, is an often overlooked medical condition that causes a cluster of chronic...read more »

Undiagnosed causes of weight gain and obesity: Although obesity may be related to lifestyle issues, there are also a number of medical causes of...read more »

Over-diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension in obese patients: A diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension, particularly pulmonary arterial hypertension, is often a misdiagnosis in obese patients. Exertional dyspnea leads to a diagnostic reading of high right ventricular...read more »

Obesity-related conditions undiagnosed in children: A variety of conditions are associated with obesity (see obesity), but these tend to be undiagnosed more often in child patients than in adults. Some of the overlooked conditions...read more »

Misdiagnosed weight-related causes of infertility: A woman's weight status can affect her level of fertility. Although obesity or overweight can in themselves reduce fertility, there are other weight...read more »

Various reasons for obesity: Various studies have shown that approximately 10% of prepubertal and 15% of adolescent age groups are obese. Parents often blame obesity in...read more »

Read more about Misdiagnosis and Obesity

Diagnostic tests for Obesity:

Various tests are used in the diagnosis of Obesity. Some of these are listed below :

• Physical examination
  • Calculate the Body mass index (BMI) = weight (kg) / height (m2)
  • Obesity is defined as a BMI of 30-40. Morbid obesity is defined as a BMI of over 40
  • Calculate Waist-Hip ratio. Obese people with a high waist-hip ratio (over 1.0 in men and over 0.9 in women) have a significantly greater risk of diabetes mellitus, stroke, heart attacks and early death than equally obese people with lower waist-hip ratio
  • Determine the distribution of body fat. If the obesity is predominantly abdominal, especially with a moon-shaped face, must consider Cushing's syndrome. Type 2 diabetes is also associated with abdominal obesity. If the obesity is predominantly of the lower legs, must consider lipodystrophy

See full list of 34 diagnostic tests for Obesity

Diagnosis Checklist: Questions your doctor may ask (and why!)

During a consultation, your doctor will use various techniques in their assessment of Obesity. Your doctor may ask several questions when assessing your condition. It is important to remember that your consultation is a two-way process and any extra information you can share with your doctor about your symptoms may help them with their diagnosis. Some of the questions your doctor may ask are listed below:

• When did you start having problems with your weight? - the onset of obesity may occur at any age.
• What strategies have you tried to lose weight?
• What is the sex of the person with obesity? - If male should consider Klinefelter's syndrome. If female should consider polycystic ovarian syndrome.
• What is the age of the person with obesity? - If the person is a child, must consider the rare congenital disorders that cause obesity such as Prader-Willi, Laurence-Moon-Bardet-Biedl syndrome or Beckwirth-Wiedemann syndrome. Studies have found that 10% of prepubertal and 15% of adolescent child age groups are obese. Medical causes of obesity in children are rare.
• Family history of obesity? - obesity is influenced by environmental and genetic factors.

See Diagnosis Checklist for Obesity (31 listings)

Diagnosis Checklist: Associated symptoms your doctor may ask about (and why!)

Sometimes, other symptoms may be present and may help your doctor analyse your condition. The symptoms your doctor may ask about (in association with Obesity) may include:

• Enormous appetite? - must consider the possibility of an insulinoma or Frohlich's syndrome (also have poorly developed genitals).
• Mental retardation? - the presence of mental retardation with obesity should suggest Laurence-Moon-Bardet-Biedl syndrome or Prader-Willi syndrome.
• Headaches and visual disturbance? - may suggest a variety of tumors including craniopharyngioma, optic glioma and pituitary tumors that may cause injury to the hypothalamus and result in excessive appetite and obesity.
• Chest pain? - may suggest angina which may be a consequence of obesity.
• Low back pain, aggravation of knee and ankle pain? - Obesity may cause a variety of bone and joint disturbances, including low back pain and aggravation of osteoarthritis, particularly of the knees and ankles.

See Diagnosis Checklist for Obesity (31 listings)

Stories from Users for Obesity

Real-life user stories relating to Obesity:

• How to put on weight?
• spotting after body temp raised

Symptom specific forums: The following patient stories in our interactive forums and message boards relate to Obesity or relevant symptoms:

• Constitutional (General Wellbeing) (156)
  • Sore Scalp/hair follicles
  • Fat loss in entire body
  • Dont know how much more I can take..
  • I'm Lost.
  • My wife does not sweat I'm worried
  • More user stories

Videos for Obesity

Patient Surveys for Obesity

• Patient Profile Survey
  Take Survey  View Results
• Survey about diseases related to your Obesity
  Take Survey  View Results

Causes of Obesity listed in Disease Database:

Other medical conditions listed in the Disease Database as possible causes of Obesity as a symptom include:

• Adiposogenital dystrophy
• Bardet-Biedl syndrome
• Borjeson-Forssman-Lehmann syndrome
• Cohen syndrome
• Cushing's disease
• Cushing's syndrome
• Ethanol
• Hypothyroidism
• Insulinoma
• Kleine-Levin-Critchley syndrome
• Laron dwarfism
• Melanocortin 4 receptor defect
• Pituitary tumour (growth hormone secreting)
• Polyphagia
• Prader-Willi syndrome
• Prednisolone
• Pseudohypoparathyroidism type 1a
• X-linked mental retardation-hypotonic facies syndrome
• Young-Hughes syndrome

See full list of 195 causes of Obesity
- (Source - Diseases Database)

Article Excerpts about Obesity

To most people, the term "obesity" means to be very overweight. Health professionals define "overweight" as an excess amount of body weight that includes muscle, bone, fat, and water. "Obesity" specifically refers to an excess amount of body fat. Some people, such as bodybuilders or other athletes with a lot of muscle, can be overweight without being obese. (Source: excerpt from Understanding Adult Obesity: NIDDK)

Overweight refers to an excess of body weight compared to set standards. The excess weight may come from muscle, bone, fat, and/or body water. Obesity refers specifically to having an abnormally high proportion of body fat.¹ One can be overweight without being obese, as in the example of a bodybuilder or other athlete who has a lot of muscle. However, many people who are overweight are also obese. (Source: excerpt from NIDDK _ Statistics Related to Overweight and Obesity: NIDDK)

To most people, the term "obesity" means to be very overweight. Health professionals define "overweight" as an excess amount of body weight that includes muscle, bone, fat, and water. "Obesity" specifically refers to an excess amount of body fat. Some people, such as bodybuilders or other athletes with a lot of muscle, can be overweight without being obese. (Source: excerpt from Understanding Adult Obesity: NIDDK)

Overweight refers to an excess of body weight compared to set standards. The excess weight may come from muscle, bone, fat, and/or body water. Obesity refers specifically to having an abnormally high proportion of body fat.¹ One can be overweight without being obese, as in the example of a bodybuilder or other athlete who has a lot of muscle. However, many people who are overweight are also obese. (Source: excerpt from NIDDK _ Statistics Related to Overweight and Obesity: NIDDK)

Definitions of Obesity:

Obesity: [MIM*601665] An excess of subcutaneous fat in proportion to lean body mass. Excess fat accumulation is associated with increase in the size (hypertrophy) as well as the number (hyperplasia) of adipose tissue cells. Obesity is variously defined in terms of absolute weight, weight:height ratio, distribution of subcutaneous fat, and societal and esthetic norms. Measures of weight in proportion to height include relative weight (RW, body weight divided by median desirable weight for a person of the same height and medium frame according to actuarial tables), body mass index (BMI, kg/m²) and ponderal index (kg/m³). These do not differentiate between excess adiposity and increased lean body mass. In contrast, subscapular and triceps skinfold measurements and determination of the waist:hip ratio help define the regional deposition of fat and differentiate the more medically significant central obesity from peripheral obesity in adults. No single cause can explain all cases of obesity. Ultimately it results from an imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure. Although faulty eating habits related to failure of normal satiety feedback mechanisms may be responsible for some cases, many obese people neither consume more calories nor eat different proportions of foodstuffs than nonobese persons. Contrary to popular belief, obesity is not caused by disorders of pituitary, thyroid, or adrenal gland metabolism. However, it is often associated with hyperinsulinism and relative insulin resistance. Studies of obese twins strongly suggest the presence of genetic influences on resting metabolic rate, feeding behavior, changes in energy expenditures in response to overfeeding, lipoprotein lipase activity, and basal rate of lipolysis. Environmental factors associated with obesity include socioeconomic status, race, region of residence, season, urban living, and being part of a smaller family. The prevalence of obesity is greater when weight is measured during winter rather than summer. Obesity is much more common in the southeastern U.S., although the northeastern and midwestern states also have high rates, a phenomenon independent of race, population density, and season. SYN: adiposity (1), corpulence, corpulency. [L. obesus, pp. of obedo, to eat up, + -ity]Obesity is a major public health problem and the leading nutritional disorder in the U.S. It is responsible for more than 280,000 deaths annually in this country. A widely accepted definition of obesity is body weight that is 20% or more in excess of ideal weight:height ratio according to actuarial tables. By this definition, 34% of adults in the U.S. are obese. The National Institutes of Health have defined obesity as a BMI of 30 kg/m² or more, and overweight as a BMI between 25 and 30 kg/m². By these criteria, two thirds of adults are either overweight or obese. There is strong evidence that the prevalence of obesity is increasing in both children and adults. Increases are particularly striking among African-Americans and Mexican-Americans. More than 80% of black women over the age of 40 are overweight, and 50% are obese. Among factors blamed for the steady increase in the prevalence of obesity are unhealthful eating practices (high-fat diet, overlarge portions) and the decline in physical activity associated with use of automobiles and public transportation instead of walking, labor-saving devices including computers, and passive forms of entertainment and recreation (television, computer games). Despite efforts of public health authorities to educate the public about the dangers of obesity, it is widely viewed as a cosmetic rather than a medical problem. Obesity is an independent risk factor for hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, Type 2 diabetes mellitus, myocardial infarction, certain malignancies (cancer of the colon, rectum, and prostate in men and of the breast, cervix, endometrium, and ovary in women), obstructive sleep apnea, hypoventilation syndrome, osteoarthritis and other orthopedic disorders, infertility, lower extremity venous stasis disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and urinary stress incontinence. Lesser degrees of obesity can constitute a significant health hazard in the presence of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, heart disease, or their associated risk factors. Body fat distribution in central (abdominal or male pattern, with an increased waist:hip ratio) versus peripheral (gluteal or female pattern) adipose tissue depots is associated with higher risks of many of these disorders. Obese people are more liable to injury, more difficult to examine by palpation and imaging techniques, and more likely to have unsuccessful outcomes and complications from surgical operations. Not least among the adverse effects of obesity are social stigmatization, poor self-image, and psychological stress. Weight reduction is associated with improvement in most of the health risks of obesity. All treatments for obesity (other than cosmetic surgical procedures in which subcutaneous fat is mechanically removed) require creation of an energy deficit by reducing caloric intake, increasing physical exercise, or both. Basic weight reduction programs involve consumption of a restricted-calorie, low-fat diet and performance of at least 30 minutes of endurance-type physical activity of at least moderate intensity on most and preferably all days of the week. Behavior modification therapy, hypnosis, anorexiant drugs (sympathomimetic agents, sibutramine), the lipase inhibitor orlistat, and surgical procedures to reduce gastric capacity or intestinal absorption of nutrients are useful in selected cases, but the emphasis should be on establishing permanent changes in lifestyle. Weight reduction is not recommended during pregnancy or in patients with osteoporosis, cholelithiasis, severe mental illness including anorexia nervosa, or terminal illness.
Source: Stedman's Medical Spellchecker, © 2006 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Is a Body Mass Index (BMI of 30 or above). BMI describes body weight relative to height and is strongly correlated to total body fat content in adults. The rIsk of death increases as the BMI reaches and surpasses 30. (CDC98)
- (Source - Diseases Database)

More than average fatness
- (Source - WordNet 2.1)

Excessively high accumulation of body fat or adipose tissue in relation to lean body mass; the amount of body fat (or adiposity) includes concern for both the distribution of fat throughout the body and the size of the adipose tissue deposits; individuals are usually at high clinical risk because of excess amount of body fat (BMI greater than 30).
- (Source - CRISP)

Detailed list of causes of Obesity

The list below shows some of the causes of Obesity mentioned in various sources:

• Abdominal obesity metabolic syndrome - abdominal obesity
• Achard-Thiers Syndrome - obesity
• Adiposogenital dystrophy
• Adrenal adenoma, familial - excessive body fat in torso
• Adrenal Cancer - obesity

See full list of 195 causes of Obesity

How Common are these Causes of Obesity?

This information refers to the general prevalence and incidence of these diseases, not to how likely they are to be the actual cause of Obesity. Of the 195 causes of Obesity that we have listed, we have the following prevalence/incidence information:

• 11 causes are "very common" diseases
• 10 causes are "common" diseases
• 3 causes are "uncommon" diseases
• 1 causes are "rare" diseases
• 3 causes are "very rare" diseases
• 180 causes have no prevalence information.

See the analysis of the prevalence of 195 causes of Obesity

Conditions listing symptoms: Obesity:

The following list of conditions have 'Obesity' or similar listed as a symptom in our database. This computer-generated list may be inaccurate or incomplete. Always seek prompt professional medical advice about the cause of any symptom.

A

Causes of Obesity Based on Risk Factors

This information shows analysis of the list of causes of Obesity based on whether certain risk factors apply to the patient: