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Main > Specialty Areas > Endocrinology >
What is Obesity?
In simple words, obesity is an excess of total body fat. It is the second most common factor of preventable death (after smoking). It has assumed almost epidemic proportions in the US and in Europe - almost a third of Americans or almost 60 million are obese and this includes 1 obese child among 5.
Often, type 2 diabetes, arthritis, gallstones, and hyperlipidemia are a result of obesity. It also leads to many other diseases like those affecting the coronary artery and degenerative joints diseases, psychosocial disability, and even some forms of cancer. This cancer primarily affects the rectum, the colon, as well as the prostate in males and the breast, the ovaries, the uterus, and the biliary tract in females.
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| Random Useful Tip: |
Epinephrine shot If you are known to have a severe anaphylactic reaction, carry an epinephrine (adrenaline) shot with you at all times. Pay attention to expiration date and replace it regularly: upon expiration, it loses its effectiveness. |
| Random Drug Info: |
Levothyroxine Levothyroxine is a pure synthetic form of T4 hormone that is made in a laboratory to be an exact replacement for the T4 that the human thyroid gland normally secretes. It comes in multiple strengths, which means that an appropriate dosage can almost always be found for each patient. |
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