Obesity
Obesity is a condition where a person has much greater body weight than is healthy. A person is said to be obese when he has a BMI above 30. When there is a BMI of 40 and more, it is morbid obesity. The world statistics show that there has been an alarming rise of nearly 50% in the number of obese adults. Another disturbing trend is the increase in the number of obese adolescents. Obesity occurs due to eating too much food coupled with lack of exercise. Sedentary lifestyle coupled with poor eating habits are most often to blame for obesity. A diet that includes processed foods, trans fat and too much alcohol will make a person overweight. Other factors contributing to obesity are stress, depression, medications, illness and emotional problems. Emotional comfort eating can pile on the weight.
Medical conditions such as Cushings' Syndrome and PCOS can lead to obesity. In some cases, hypothyroidism might be the cause for weight gain. Medications like antidepressants can lead to added weight. Health problems that can arise due to obesity are heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis and sleep apnea. Obesity can be tackled by checking if there is any underlying medical condition. When dealing with an obese person, thyroid test and endocrine tests are done. Embark on a weight management program after checking with your health professional or nutritionist. A healthy body weight is a combination of exercise and good nutrition. Extreme diets and fad diets only worsen the condition by leading to yo-yo weight and improper nutrition. Weight that is lost by very low calorie diets is not permanent and has disastrous consequences.
PFT
PFT - Pulmonary function test refers to one or different types of tests that are conducted on a patient to assess the condition of his lungs and their efficiency in transfering oxygen to the blood. PFT aids in measuring occupational hazards of exposure to contaminants such as asbestos or radon. It helps monitor of disease treatment.
Spirometry is a vital PFT that measures how well the lungs exhale. This diagnostic test is prescribed for patients suffering from asthma or COPD. This tests involves breathing into a mouthpiece that is connected to a spirometer. The amount of air and rate of exhalation are measured over a specific time.
Lung volume measurement test can aid detection of restrictive lung diseases. Such patients are often unable to inhale normal volumes of air due to inflammation or scarring of lung tissue. This PFT can be done as a body plethysmograph.
Gas diffusion test measures the amount of oxygen and other gases that are absorbed into your body from your lungs.
Inhalation challenge test aids in identifying possible allergens that can cause asthma or severe respiratory allergy. Other tests to measure lung function include residual volume, gas diffusion tests, body plethysmography, inhalation challenge tests, and exercise stress tests.
Patients scheduled for PFT must restrain from use of bronchodilators or inhaler medications for few hours prior to the test. Patients are advised not to eat a heavy meal or smoke for a few hours prior to the PFT. Typical normal values for pulmonary function tests are based on the age, height, ethnicity, and sex of the person being tested. Factors such history of smoking, wheezing and obesity can affect results of PFT. Pulmonary function tests are not advised for patients who have recently suffered heart attack.
Insulin resistance
Insulin resistance or Metabolic syndrome is a condition where the body's insulin is not properly utilized. This condition also called Syndrome X is often called impaired fasting glucose (IFG) or Pre-diabetes. In an attempt to compensate the insulin resistance, the body produces extra insulin that leads directly or indirectly to the metabolic abnormalities.
Causes for Syndrome X
Obesity metabolic syndrome: A large waistline or abdominal obesity, which generally is 40 inches or more for men and 35 inches or more for women.
Physical inactivity: Metabolic syndrome is associated with sedentary lifestyles like adipose tissue, reduced HDL cholesterol, increased triglycerides (fat found in blood), blood pressure and glucose in the genetically susceptible.
Aging: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome increases with age.
Diabetes Mellitus: Metabolic syndrome is found in large majority of patients with Type-2 diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT).
Coronary Heart Disease: Patients with coronary heart disease are at higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome.
Tackling Metabolic Resistance
Physical activity for at least 30 to 60 minutes a day is generally recommended. Losing weight is imperative to dealing with metabolic syndrome. Follow a healthy diet. Insulin resistance is increased by smoking cigarettes. part from weight loss and exercise, few drugs are also prescribed to reduce the LDL cholesterol levels. Drugs prescribed for this kind of treatment include statin, a fibrate drug or a combination of a statin with either niacin or a fibrate.
Bibliography / Reference
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