Millions of individuals worldwide suffer from obesity, a chronic condition linked to a number of illnesses, including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidaemia, and liver disease. Obesity has risen by 10% in the Valencian Community during the past ten years, impacting 14% of women and 19% of men. It is anticipated that between 55% and 80% of Spanish people will be overweight in less than five years.
“The approach to this pathology should not focus solely on weight loss, but on the overall improvement of the patient’s health and quality of life by consolidating a lasting change in habits,” says Dr. Carlos Sala, head of the Obesity Unit at Hospital Quirónsalud Valencia. In this sense, medications for obesity have created a therapeutic option as a short-term aid in a habit-change process.
Millions of individuals worldwide suffer from obesity, a chronic condition linked to a number of illnesses, including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidaemia, and liver disease. Obesity has risen by 10% in the Valencian Community during the past ten years, impacting 14% of women and 19% of men. It is anticipated that between 55% and 80% of Spanish people will be overweight in less than five years.
“The approach to this pathology should not focus solely on weight loss, but on the overall improvement of the patient’s health and quality of life by consolidating a lasting change in habits,” says Dr. Carlos Sala, head of the Obesity Unit at Hospital Quirónsalud Valencia. In this sense, medications for obesity have created a therapeutic option as a short-term aid in a habit-change process.
Nowadays, people with a body mass index (BMI) of more than 28 who also have obesity-related conditions like type 2 diabetes or insulin resistance, high blood pressure, dyslipidaemia, hepatic steatosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, osteoarticular issues, or emotional disorders brought on by the failure of prior treatments are thought to be the best candidates for GLP-1 analogue medication.
“The main objective of these treatments,” says Dr. Jorge Cid, a specialist in the Endocrinology Department at Quirónsalud Torrevieja Hospital and Quirónsalud Alicante, “is not only weight loss, but also the improvement of metabolic status and associated diseases, ensuring that patients can maintain healthy habits once drug treatment has been discontinued.”
Dr. Sala cautions against using it in individuals who have already received unsuccessful treatment with GLP-1 analogues and have not seen a long-lasting change in their behaviour. Since bariatric and metabolic surgery has been demonstrated to be the most reliable and successful treatment for extreme obesity and its related conditions, it may be the best choice in these situations, he says.
Multidisciplinary monitoring
Dr. Sala notes that medication alone will not be sufficient for the effective treatment of obesity. “Success lies in its combination with personalised dietary and nutritional education, psychological support to modify the relationship with food, supervised physical exercise to improve body composition, and ongoing medical support to prevent relapse and weight gain,” according to the Quirónsalud Valencia Hospital specialist.
According to Dr. Cid, “clinical follow-up is essential to ensure that the patient does not sustain a long-term drug dependence.” Eight out of ten patients regain their weight without a well-planned approach, which emphasises the necessity of specialised medical care to meet long-term weight loss objectives.
Watch this video for more details about medication treatment for obesity:
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