What is Morbid Obesity or Clinically Severe Obesity?

 

Obesity becomes “morbid” when it reaches the point of significantly increasing the risk of one or more obesity-related health conditions or serious diseases (also known as co-morbidities) that result either in significant physical disability or even death. Morbid obesity is typically defined as being 100 lbs or more over ideal body weight or having a BMI of 40 or higher. It is a serious disease and must be treated as such. It is a chronic disease, its symptoms building slowly over an extended period of time. Asians develop co-morbid conditions at relatively lower BMI categories compared to Caucasians.