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Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
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Tests and diagnosis
By Mayo Clinic staffIf your doctor believes you are overweight or obese, he or she will typically review your health history in detail, perform a physical exam and recommend some tests. These can help confirm the diagnosis, check to see what may be contributing to your weight problem and also check for any related complications.
These exams and tests generally include:
- Taking your healthy history. Your doctor reviews your weight history, weight-loss efforts, exercise habits, eating patterns, what other conditions you've had, medications, stress levels and other issues about your health. Your doctor also may review your family's health history to see if you may be predisposed to certain conditions.
- Assessing other health problems. If you have known health problems, your doctor will evaluate them. Your doctor will also check for other possible health problems, such as high blood pressure or binge eating disorder.
- Calculating your BMI. Your doctor will check your body mass index (BMI) to determine your level of obesity. Your BMI also helps determine what other health problems you may face and what treatment may be appropriate.
- Measuring your waist circumference. Fat stored around your waist, sometimes called visceral fat or abdominal fat, may further increase your risk of diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. Women with a waist measurement of more than 35 inches and men with a waist measurement of more than 40 inches may have more health risks than people with smaller waist measurements.
- A general physical exam. This includes measuring your height, checking vital signs, such as heart rate, blood pressure and temperature, listening to your heart and lungs, and examining your abdomen.
- Laboratory tests. What tests you have depend on your health and risk factors. They may include a complete blood count (CBC), a check of cholesterol and other blood fats, liver function tests, fasting glucose, a thyroid test, and others depending on your health situation. Your doctor also may recommend certain heart tests, such as an electrocardiogram.
Gathering all this information helps you and your doctor determine how much weight you need to lose and what health conditions or risks you have. And this will shape what treatment options are right for you.
References
- Defining overweight and obesity. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/defining.htm. Accessed Jan. 26, 2009.
- Ogden CL, et al. Obesity among adults in the United States - No statistically significant change since 2003-2004. NCHS data brief no 1. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2007.
- Still CD, et al. Obesity. In: Rakel & Bope: Conn's Current Therapy. 60th ed. Philadelphia: Saunders Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/117958748-3/0/1621/295.html#4-u1.0-B978-1. Accessed Feb. 20, 2009.
- Bray GA. Etiology and natural history of obesity. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 26, 2009.
- Kushner RF. Obesity management. Gastroenterology Clinics of North America. 2007;36:191.
- Duval K, et al. Health-related quality of life in morbid obesity. Obesity Surgery. 2006;16:574.
- Hainer V, et al. Treatment modalities of obesity: What fits whom? Diabetes Care. 2008;31(suppl 2):S269.
- Understanding adult obesity. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://www.win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/understanding.htm. Accessed Jan. 26, 2009.
- Bessesen DH. Update on obesity. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. 2008;93:2027.
- Bray GA. Overview of therapy for obesity in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 26, 2009.
- Svetkey LP, et al. Comparison of strategies for sustaining weight loss: The Weight Loss Maintenance Randomized Controlled Trial. JAMA. 2008;299:1139.
- The practical guide: Identification, evaluation, and treatment of overweight and obesity in adults. National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/obesity/prctgd_c.pdf. Accessed Feb. 25, 2009.
- Donnelly JE, et al. American College of Sports Medicine position stand: Appropriate physical activity intervention strategies for weight loss and prevention of weight regain for adults. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2009;41:459.
- Sacks F, et al. Comparison of weight-loss diets with different compositions of fat, protein, and carbohydrates. New England Journal of Medicine. 2009;360:859.
- Mun EC, et al. Surgical management of obesity. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 26, 2009.
- Hensrud DD (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. April 2, 2009.
- Anderson CA (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. March 3, 2009.
