Home > Central obesity
Central obesity (or 'apple-shaped' or 'masculine' obesity), is when the main deposits of body fat are localised around the abdomen and the upper body.1 Associations
Central obesity is common in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and Syndrome X, and it is associated with a statistically higher risk of heart disease, hypertension, insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus type 2.
Central obesity can also be a feature of lipodystrophies, a group of diseases which is either inherited, or due to secondary causes (often protease inhibitors, a group of medications against AIDS).
2 Diagnosis
Central obesity is diagnosed by measuring the waist-hip ratio . When this exceeds 1.0 in men or 0.9 in women, one can speak of central obesity.
3 Therapy
Weight loss is the main intervention against central obesity when this is considered disfiguring or when it puts one at a risk for the abovementioned diseases. Adjunctive therapies are the use of orlistatOrlistat (marketed as Xenical is a drug designed to treat obesity. It works by inhibiting pancreatic lipase, an enzyme that breaks down fat in the intestine. Without this enzyme, fat from the diet is excreted undigested, and not absorbed by the body. or sibutramine . In the presence of diabetes mellitus type 2, the physician might prefer to prescribe metforminMetformin (Glucophage®) is an anti-diabetic drug from the biguanide class (its other member is the withdrawn agent phenformin). Uses The main use for metformin is for the treatment of diabetes mellitus, especially when is concomitant obesity and insulin r and thiazolidinedioneThe medication class of thiazolidinedione was introduced in the late 1990s as an adjunctive therapy for diabetes mellitus (type II) and related diseases. Mode of action Thiazolidinediones act by binding to PPARs (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors ( rosiglitazoneIn medicine and pharmacology, rosiglitazone is a member of the thiazolidinedione class of drugs. It is being marketed as Avandia® by the pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline, both as a standalone preparation and in combination with metformin (Avandamet® or pioglitazoneIn medicine and pharmacology, pioglitazone is a member of the drug class of the thiazolidinediones. It is being marketed as Actos® by the pharmaceutical companies Takeda and Eli Lilly. Like other thiazolidinediones, its mechanism of action is by activatio) as anti-diabetic drugAn anti-diabetic drug is used to treat diabetes mellitus. They usually work by lowering the glucose levels in the blood. There are different types of anti-diabetic drugs, and their use depends on the nature of the diabetes, age and situation of the persons rather than sulfonylureaSulfonylurea derivatives are a class of antidiabetic drugs that are used in the management of diabetes mellitus type 2 ("adult-onset"). They act by increasing insulin release from the beta cells in the pancreas. Drugs in this class First generation: Chlor derivatives.
4 See also
Medicine
