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Obesity: One Size Does Not Fit All
Americans are losing the battle of bulge and it’s affecting their healthcare in more ways than they know. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, 30 percent of American adults – over 60 million people – are obese, with about 67 million more classified as overweight.
But while there are potential health risks associated with obesity, a less frequently discussed issue is the difficulty physicians face in the diagnosis and treatment of obese patients. Radiologists even have a name for when a patient’s exam is inconclusive and hinders their ability to make an accurate diagnosis: “limited by body habitus” or LBBH.
According to a recent study in the journal Radiology, the number of inconclusive diagnostic imaging exams has doubled in the last 15 years due to the size of today’s patients.
Obese patients need as much, if not more, medical attention than everyone else, but the healthcare system is not adequately equipped to accommodate them. For instance, it is difficult for some obese patients to fit in the openings of standard MRI scanners so they can be examined. These patients are often referred to an open MRI scanner that presents physicians with a Catch-22 situation: While the open MRI scanner can physically accommodate larger patients, these scanners typically have much less power and images of obese patients tend to be of diminished quality.
The good news is that recent advances in medical imaging technology are addressing the needs of an increasingly obese population. For example, the MAGNETOM Espree MRI scanner combines high-field imaging with a larger, more accommodating bore opening; new computed tomography (CT) systems also feature wider bores and allow the use of higher energy levels to image patients; and new fluoroscopy systems support increased weight capacities – providing all patients equal comfort and access to high-quality medical diagnosis and treatment.
Point of View
“Obesity has become a crucial health problem for our nation, and … the medical costs alone reflect the significance of the challenge. Of course the ultimate cost to Americans is measured in chronic disease and early death. We must take responsibility both as individuals and working together to reduce the health toll associated with obesity.” Tommy G. Thompson, former Health and Human Services Secretary. more
Fast Facts
- Nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults (over age 20) are overweight (or have a body mass index [BMI] of greater than 25).*
- Nearly one-third of U.S. adults is obese (or has a BMI of greater than 30).*
- Approximately 15.3 percent of children (ages 6-11) were overweight in 2000.*
- Approximately 15.5 percent of adolescents (ages 12-19) were overweight in 2000.*
- The prevalence of obesity among American adults from 1960 to 2000 more than doubled, from 13.3 percent to 30.9 percent.**
- In 1991, only four states had obesity rates of 15 percent or higher. In 2000, every state except Colorado had obesity rates of 15 percent or more.***
- Approximately 300,000 adult deaths in the United States each year are attributable to unhealthy dietary habits and physical inactivity or sedentary behavior.***
- A recent study estimated annual medical spending due to exess weight and obesity to be as much as $92.6 billion in 2002 (9.1 percent of U.S. health expenditures).****
*According to Journal of the American Medical Association
**International Journal of Obesity
***Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
****Health Affairs Web Exclusive.
Siemens Thought Leaders: Weighing in on the Obesity Epidemic
Nancy Gillen[63 KB], Vice President, Magnetic Resonance Division, Siemens Medical Solutions. Since her appointment as VP in 1999, Nancy Gillen, has been responsible for the overall development, marketing and sales of Siemens MR solutions and furthering the division’s business growth in the United States. Gillen began her career with Siemens in 1988 as a computed tomography (CT)/MR sales specialist and was appointed to the position of national sales director for the MR Division in 1995. Gillen obtained a bachelor’s degree in business and health administration from Dominican College and majored in radiology at Englewood Hospital School of Radiology.
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