Burden of Obesity in Adults at a Tertiary Care Hospital

Obesity is a well-established risk factor for many diseases, including hypertension, diabetes mellitus (DM), cardiovascular disease, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Understanding the prevalence, demographics, and associated complications of obesity at the institutional level is crucial for tailoring effective preventive measures and treatment strategies.

This study aims to investigate the epidemiology and complications of obesity among patients at the Avignon Hospital.

This is a retrospective study of patients who consulted the Endocrinology Department at the Avignon Hospital for various endocrine disorders between January 2024 and April 2024. The sociodemographic, clinical, and biochemical variables were collected from both the obese and non-obese cohorts. The chi-square test was used to assess statistically significant associations between obesity and other covariates. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the risk factors for ischemic heart disease in obese patients.

Among the 240 participants in the study, 54.2% were obese. Obesity was more prevalent among females (57.5%) when compared to males (50.4%), and in individuals aged greater than 60 years (68.8%) as compared to other age groups. Among obese patients, 39.2% had type 1, and 32.3% had type 2 diabetes. Obesity was prevalent in 76.4% of all patients with type 2 diabetes. Hypertension and coronary artery disease were present in 52.3% and 58.4% of all obese patients, respectively. OSA was found in 57.7% of obese patients. Among patients with mild, moderate, and severe sleep apnea, 79.5%, 82%, and 85% were obese, respectively. All patients (n = 16) with a fibrosis-4 index (FIB-4) score > 2.67 and 62% of patients with an indeterminate score between 1.3 and 2.67 were obese. Obesity was noted among 83.3% of chronic kidney disease patients and 66.7% of patients with hypertriglyceridemia. Logistic regression analyses revealed that DM and older age were predictive of ischemic heart disease in obese patients.

The majority of our study cohort consisted of obese patients. Obesity was highly prevalent among patients with DM, OSA, metabolic steatohepatitis-related fibrosis, and chronic kidney disease. Older age, DM, chronic kidney disease, and OSA were associated with a greater risk for ischemic heart disease in obese patients.