What is Morbid Obesity?

Individuals are typically diagnosed as morbidly obese when they are 100 pounds or more over their ideal body weight, or if they have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 40 or above. As weight rises, so does the level of risk to health. Follow-on conditions (called comorbidities) include high cholesterol, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, heart disease and even some forms of cancer. This has led medical professionals to classify morbid obesity as a disease, rather than the result of a lack of will power.

Morbid obesity can affect anyone. Men, women, teenagers, and children can experience serious weight problems. Further, obesity crosses racial, ethnic and socio-economic lines. Obesity has truly become an epidemic.

Bariatric surgery is the most effective long-term weight loss option for those experencing obesity. However, while access to bariatric surgery is improving (through education and advocacy), a very small percentage of those eligible for surgery actually undergo it. The decision to undergo surgery for morbid obesity should not be made lightly. At Winthrop, we counsel patients from Queens, Long Island, and throughout New York about their surgical weight loss options, providing detailed information so that they can decide if surgery is the right solution for them.

If you are interested in becoming one of the many patients who have been helped by our treatments for morbid obesity, contact our New York bariatric surgery center today. We can set you on the path to improved health through successful weight loss.