Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #121165

Susanne K. Scott, BS, MPH¹, Felicia A. Rabito, PhD², Judith A. Schwartzbaum, PhD, Benita M. Jackson, MD, MPH, Randi L. Love, PhD, CHES⁵, Phillip D. Price, MD, FACS⁶, and Randall E. Harris, MD, PhD⁷. (1) School of Public Health - Dept. of Epidemiology, The Ohio State University, 320 W. 10th Ave., Starling-Loving Hall, Columbus, OH 43210, 614-596-4438, scott.788@osu.edu, (2) School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine - Dept. of Epidemiology, Tulane University, 1440 Canal Street, Suite 800, New Orleans, LA 70112, (3) Ohio State University, M-120 Starling Loving Hall, 320 W 10th Ave, Columbus, OH 43210, (4) Mid-Ohio Surgical Associates, Inc., 750 Mount Carmel Mall, Suite 200, Columbus, OH 43222, (5) School of Public Health - Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, The Ohio State University, 320 W. 10th Ave., A-150-B Starling-Loving Hall, Columbus, OH 43210

Introduction. Morbid obesity [body mass index (kg/m²) ≥ 40] has increased by 76% in ten years, currently affecting one in 20 people.¹ Increased healthcare utilization, costs, morbidity, and mortality are associated with severity of obesity.² However, among morbidly obese patients, comorbid prevalence has been quantified only for those undergoing bariatric surgery.³ Objective. To compare the prevalence of comorbid conditions reported for morbidly obese patients discharged for surgical obesity procedures, e.g. bariatric surgery, to morbidly obese patients discharged for all other hospital procedures. Methods. The 2002 National Hospital Discharge Survey, a nationally representative sample of US hospital discharge records, and the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification were used to identify and describe morbidly obese patient discharges (n=3,473) and to quantify the prevalence of selected obesity-related comorbid conditions. Results. Obesity surgery patients (n=833) were younger (42 vs. 48 yrs; range: 17-67), mostly female (82.3% vs. 63.7%) and had higher rates of sleep apnea (24.0% vs. 11.8%), osteoarthritis (22.9% vs. 11.8%), and gastroesophageal reflux disease (27.7% vs. 11.7%), all p<0.001. Type 2 diabetes prevalence was lower (16.1% vs. 24.6%, p=0.003), whereas hypertension (45.9% vs. 41.0%, p=0.13) and asthma (9.6% vs. 12.0%, p=0.26) were similar between groups. Conclusions. Obesity surgery patients had a higher prevalence of some comorbid conditions. Possible explanations include: 1) preferential diagnosis; 2) differential diagnostic coding; 3) increased severity of morbid obesity. To better inform healthcare policymakers, quality clinical data is needed which accurately quantifies and describes the distribution of morbid obesity and the associated burden of disease.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to

• Define morbid obesity according to the body mass index.
• List five common co-morbid conditions associated with morbid obesity.
• Describe demographic and comorbid differences of morbidly obese bariatric surgical patients compared to all other morbidly obese patients in a U.S representative sample of hospital discharges.

Keywords: Obesity, Co-morbid

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.