BMI for Super Obesity

Patients who are super obese are at a significantly higher risk of serious obesity-related health conditions. If you fall into the super-obese or morbidly obese categories, talk to your doctor about resources available to you for weight loss. Losing weight through diet, exercise, lifestyle habits or even more drastic measures such as medication or surgery can help you avoid the health risks associated with severe obesity.

About BMI

BMI, or body mass index, is a calculation that corresponds to body fat. BMI does not measure body fat, but is an easy and fairly accurate means of screening for weight categories that could indicate health problems. To calculate your BMI, divide your weight in pounds by your height in inches squared, and multiply the result by 703. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds and are 5 feet 5 inches tall, your BMI would be 150 divided by 4225, times 703, or 24.96.

BMI Categories

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 is healthy. Anything over 25 is overweight, and a BMI above 30 is considered obese. A BMI over 40 is morbidly obese, which is usually characterized by excess weight of 100 pounds or more, reports the University of Maryland Medical Center. Super obesity is marked by a BMI of 50 or higher.

Health Risks of Super Obesity

The CDC reports that the health consequences of obesity include heart disease, diabetes, certain cancers, high blood pressure, stroke, sleep and respiratory problems, liver and gallbladder disease and gynecological problems. Individuals with a BMI over 40 are at an increased risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, stroke and kidney failure, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. A 2010 study published in the "British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology" (BGOG) found that super obesity put pregnant women at a greater risk of pre-eclampsia, a potentially fatal condition characterized by high blood pressure and high levels of protein in the urine.

Super Obesity and Bariatric Surgery

A 2006 article published in the "Annals of Surgery" suggests that duodenal switch procedures may be more effective in treating super obesity than gastric bypass. Failure rates for gastric bypass in super-obese patients are close to 40 percent. In a review of super-obese patients who underwent either duodenal switch or Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, the duodenal switch group experienced significantly greater weight loss and decrease in BMI. In a duodenal switch procedure, part of the stomach is removed and the small intestine is rerouted.

Considerations

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services reports that super obesity increases the risk of death following weight-loss surgery. A follow-up study of 856 men and women who underwent weight-loss surgery found that 54 people died within one year of surgery. Patients who had a BMI of 50 or higher prior to surgery had a greater chance of death, as did patients with chronic diseases such as heart disease or diabetes. Researchers stated that super-obese patients may be at greater risk of surgical complications because increased abdominal fat makes surgery more difficult. Super-obese patients considering bariatric surgery should carefully consider the risks as well as potential benefits.