The Impact of Obesity on Critical Illnesses
Itay Ayalon, Lauren Bodilly, Jennifer Kaplan
Abstract
ABSTRACT: In the last few decades, obesity became one of the world's greatest health challenges reaching a size of global epidemic in virtually all socioeconomic statuses and all age groups. Obesity is a risk factor for many health problems and as its prevalence gradually increases is becoming a significant economic and health burden. In this manuscript we describe how normal respiratory and cardiovascular physiology is altered by obesity. We review past and current literature to describe how obesity affects outcomes of patients facing critical illnesses and discuss some controversies related to this topic.
Topics & Concepts
ObesityMedicineSocioeconomic statusRisk factorEnvironmental healthHealth problemsGerontologyGlobal healthPublic healthMEDLINEIntensive care medicineDeveloped countryHealth careEpidemiologyCardiovascular Function and Risk FactorsSepsis Diagnosis and TreatmentRespiratory Support and Mechanisms