Why This Is Important
In a recent report from the World Heart Federation, globally there are 400 million adults categorized as obese and 1 billion adults categorized as overweight.2 Children also are affected. The global count for overweight children is estimated at 17.6 million children under the age of 5.
Patients that are overweight can develop hypertension, diabetes and atherosclerosis; all conditions put them at high risk of cardiovascular disease. The former conventional wisdom was that fat was inert. Clinicians now believe that body fat, especially in the abdominal area, can have considerable impact on metabolism.
Abdominal fat affects blood pressure and blood lipid levels, which interfere with the capacity of the body to manage insulin. The body relies upon insulin to manage glucose, the chief energy source of the body. If the body cannot manage insulin levels, overweight or obese patients may develop diabetes, a risk factor of cardiovascular disease.3
The Co-Morbidities
The World Health Organization (WHO) surveys for data on co-morbidities related to obesity, among other diseases. In a recent report WHO estimated the global prevalence of diabetes mellitus (58 percent) and ischemic heart disease (21 percent) as being attributable to a body mass index (BMI) above 21 kg/m2.4 In addition, other sources estimate the global prevalence of hypertensive disease (39 percent), colon cancer (12 percent), postmenopausal breast cancer (8 percent) for and endometrial cancer (32 percent) are all attributable to a BMI greater than 21.5
Obesity is a national epidemic and a huge opportunity for medical device product development. Addressing obesity will improve clinical outcomes and quality of life, and reduce the financial burden of healthcare globally.
References:
- Prevalence of Obesity in the United States, 2009-2010
- www.world-heart-federation.org/cardiovascular-health/cardiovascular-disease-risk-factors/obesity, Accessed March 1, 2013
- Ibid
- World Health Organization; http://who.int/whr/2002/chapter4/en/index4.html, Accessed March 3, 2013
- Philip, W. et. al. Comparative Quantification of Health Risks, Chapter 8 Overweight and Obesity
Maria Shepherd, founder of Data Decision Group, has 20 years of leadership experience in medical device and life-sciences marketing. Following a career including serving as vice president of marketing for Oridion Medical; director of marketing for Philips Medical; and senior management roles at Boston Scientific Inc., she founded Data Decision Group. Her firm quantitatively and qualitatively sizes opportunities, evaluates new technologies, and assesses prospective acquisitions for medtech companies. Shepherd teaches marketing and product development courses and recently was appointed to the board of the MSBiV Medtech Investment Committee. She can be reached at (617) 548-9892 or mshepherd@ddecisiongroup.com.