Modern methods for the diagnosis and management of obesity

Abstract

Obesity is a chronic progressive recurrent disease that develops as a result of exposure to provoking external factors and a genetic predisposition, leading to excessive accumulation of adipose tissue, which worsens overall health. Obesity is a major risk factor for a number of other chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases. According to current clinical data, the diagnosis of obesity should not be based solely on the presence of abnormal or excessive accumulation of adipose tissue. Instead, the diagnosis of obesity should include a thorough analysis of the existing and potential effects of excessive accumulation of adipose tissue on human health. In turn, the approach to obesity therapy should include prevention, elimination or improvement of complications, improvement of mental well-being, physical fitness, as well as general health and quality of life. In recent years, the number of drugs for the treatment of obesity has been steadily increasing, which provides a wider range of drugs with different mechanisms of action combined with lifestyle modification. Numerous studies confirm that new drugs for the treatment of obesity, such as semaglutide and tirzepatide, provide significant and sustained weight loss combined with cardiometabolic benefits and act as first-line drugs for the treatment of patients suffering from obesity and most of its complications. This review considers obesity as a chronic disease, examines approaches to its diagnosis, cardiometabolic consequences, and summarizes new treatment strategies.