• Obesity

  Filed under Metabolic disorder diseases
  Jan 26

   

  Fat accumulation in the body in larger quantities (than healthy persons) than usual is called obesity.

  All cases during which the accumulated excess of fat is not the consequence of some illness, but the main (the most important) pathological factor without even identifying the injury of a certain organ (or an organ system) belong to obesity. Sometimes painful diffusive formations – nodal tumors of fatty tissue (lipomas) – develop together with accumulation of fat already available in the subcutaneous fatty cell tissue, i.e. the Adiposis Dolorosa, the so called Dercum’s Disease is manifesting.

  Etiology and pathogenesis

  One of the reasons for appearance of obesity is surfeit. Etiological, surfeit influencing factors are as follows:

  • Improper nutrition habits in a family;
  • Work (activity) change when less energy is used and the same quantity of food is still used;
  • Psychical traumas;
  • Long term starvation

   

  Besides these factors, changes of neurohormone mechanisms in structures which regulate the amount of calories received and their output, maintain the accumulation of fat (and the weight of body as well) within the limits of physiological norms are taking place in the body.

  According to the data of Guiness Record Book, the medicine registered the person with larget body weight in the USA. He is John Minock. In 1978 when breathing and his heart activity stopped, this persons was immediately taken to hospital.

  Being 1.82 m tall at that time he weighted more than 636 kg.

  Today the heaviest person is also the inhabitant of the USA Albert Jackson. His body weight is 404, the chest size is 3.05 m, the waist size – 2.94 m, the hip size – 1.78 m, the neck size – 75 cm.

  Practically the appearance of obesity is mainly influenced by different centres of head brain hypothalamus. Experimental animals, to whom the internal abdominal nuclear of intermediate brain is damaged are known for bigger appetite, therefore the body obesity is developing to them. These hypithalamus nuclears are colled the “satiety centres”. By irritating the lateral nuclears of intermediate brain located near the internal abdominal nuclear, the need for nutrition is also encouraged. The latter (lateral) nuclears are called “appetite centres”. It means that lateral and internal abdominal nuclears of intermediate brain are functionally closely interrelated.

  Other reasons for people obesity are also known – after encephalitis or tumors of head brain, i.e. in case of pathologies when the areas of intermediate brain are damaged. Functional changes in the skin of head brain also influence the appearance of obesity. There is information that the functional state of appetite regulating centres is determined by the consumption of glucose which is assessed by the arteriovenous difference of glucoe: when such difference is increases, the appetite reduces and when the different reduces – the appetite increases.

  The following levels of obesity are distinguished:

  • 1st degree – the body weight (compared witht he usual weight) increases by 29%.
  • 2nd degree – the body weight exceeds the usual weight by 30 to 49%;
  • 3rd degree – 50 to 99%;
  • 4th degree – the body weight is 100% or even bigger than the usual weight.

   

  Medical definition

  Patients to whom the 1st and 2nd degree obesity is common are most often energeetic and not having other complaints, they can carry out difficult works requiring much physical and mental tension. Only some of them are complaining about sooner tiredness or are talling to feel the general weakness.

  In case of the 3rd or 4th degree obesity patients much more ofter complain about choke when walking and also under any other physical load. The majority of complaints are common to illnesses which are instigated by obesity (coronary atherochlerosis, diabetes mellitus, and etc.)

  The skin colour of such patients are most often normal, not changed and only sometimes hyperemy is characteristic to the face and not the contrary – its whiteness. Occasionally perspiration is more common and therefore the skin reeking occurs. When obesity is progressing white stripes (striaes) appear on hips, nates and on the belly. For average fat girls pink colour stripes become much brighter  on the surface of the skin on shoulders along the basis of milk glands nad also in the areas of hips, belly and hips. These stripes become whiter in the long run though there is no the skin and subcutaneous cell tissue atrophy.

  More accumulation of fat in the subcutaneous fatty cell tissue is common to all fat patients and at the early stages they are located in the areas of waist, milk glands, shoulders, hips and face. During progressing of obesity, the excess of accumulating fat becomes brighter in the areas of forearm and shins.

  Wrinkles appear on the skin of even fatter persons and incases of especially high level obesity the subcutaneous cell tissue formed of flabby sking layes on the side of the belly become so thick that (when sitting) it reaches the streched knees. And also the skin of the back seems flabby. When fat people suddenly loose weight hanging “creases” are formed of the skin’s wrinkles because of insufficient skin elasticity. These creases do not have such a thick subcutaneous layer any more.

  Treatment

  The most suitable method for treatment of obesity – is the assigning of non calorific food by reducing the quantity of carbohydrates and fully providing the body with proteines, vitamines and salts.

  If the weight does not fall, special diet is assigned with strictly distributed dose of food products precisely controlling their calories. During the period of diet application the general body massage is recommended.

  To patients to whom the increased feeling of hunger is characteristic and therefore diet is not suitable to them, special appetite reducing preparation are appointed whose effect is manifested in appropriate centres of hypothalamus.

  If the fat person does not have pathologies of hear-blood vessel system bigger load of muscle activity is appointed to them taking into consideration the age of the patient and the level of obesity.

  The treating physical training (gymnastics), stimulating the circulation of tissues and the processes of acid formation can also be applied in cases of obesity.  

  Besides the already described methods of fight with obesity recently other methods of treatment are becoming even more popular:

  • Use of special, fat dissolving pharmaceuticals (pills);
  • Cosmetic procedures assigned for reduction of subcutaneous fat layer (cold and hot body wrappings, “sauna” procedures, talasotherapy, lymphatic drainage);
  • Surgical fat removal methods (though, unfortunately, unforeseen difficulties of such method implementation are possible);
  • Coding against obesity;
  • Use of different cosmetic measures (weed extract, creams or gels) together with massage procedures.

  Purpose of massage: maintenance of the whole body tone, activation of oxidation processes, stimulation of gas circulation in lungs and tissues, improvement of lymphatic and blood circulation, facilitation of heart activity, removal of stagnation phenomena in the body as well as pressure in viscera.

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