About this course

Obesity is a multifactorial, chronic, relapsing and progressive disease which significantly increases both morbidity and mortality in affected patients. Several disorders occur with greater frequency in patients with obesity including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and various cancers. In most patients with obesity, clinically relevant improvements in many risk factors can be seen with weight loss of 5–10% body weight. However, managing obesity requires a multidisciplinary approach to counteract the body’s resistance to weight loss.

This e-learning module reviews the pathophysiology of obesity and provides an overview on available pharmacologic agents and how to choose the appropriate obesity treatment for patients with certain comorbidities.

Learning outcomes

• Understand obesity as a disease and the need to treat it
• Review the pharmacologic approach to obesity treatment

Topics covered

• Obesity: definition, associated health risks, evaluation
• Pathogenesis of obesity
• Role of craving
• Therapeutic benefits of weight loss in obesity
• Approach to treatment, choosing candidate for drug therapy
• Pharmacotherapy – drug characteristics, mechanism of action, administration, advantages, and adverse effects
• Drug preference in the presence of comorbidities