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Europeans
Nations Failing Obese Patients
Excerpt
By
Patricia Reaney,
Reuters Health
No country in Europe is providing a satisfactory level of care
for obese patients, although an estimated 135 million people may
need professional advice on how to lose weight, doctors said on
Friday.
A survey of medical professionals
in 24 countries presented at the 12th European Congress on Obesity
revealed a lack of specialists to treat the growing number of
obese patients in Europe and wide variations in the facilities
provided for them.
The number of patients per obesity
specialist ranged from 9,000 to 100,000 patients depending on
the country.
"This is a massive problem throughout
Europe," said Professor Vojtech Hainer of the European Association
for the Study of Obesity (EASO).
Although family doctors, or general
practitioners, are the first medical professionals people with
weight problems usually consult, the survey said most of them
had poor knowledge of obesity and some failed to recognize it
as a disease.
"The care of obese patients is
not very good in any country. There is a lack of knowledge about
obesity among GPs, dietitians and psychologists and there are
only minor reimbursements by insurance companies," Hainer said
in an interview.
Only five European countries reimburse
patients for weight-reducing drugs, which could cost 70 percent
of a mean monthly salary in poorer countries like Romania and
Bulgaria.
Hainer said that although the survey
was conducted in Europe, he believes the situation is the same
around the globe.
"There are no unique differences,"
he said. "We need educational systems in every country and for
the long-term."
More than a billion adults worldwide
are overweight or obese, according to the World Health Organization.
About 10-20 percent of men and 10-25 percent of women in Europe
are obese.
Being overweight increases the
risk of illnesses such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high
blood pressure, stroke and certain types of cancer. In some developed
countries, where the problem is most serious, obesity accounts
for an estimated seven percent of total health care costs.
Reference
Source 89
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