Skip to Content
800-533-8762
  • Careers
  • Newsroom
  • Health Care Professionals
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
UPMC
  • Find a Doctor
  • Services
    • Frequently Searched Services
    • Frequently Searched Services
      Allergy & Immunology Behavioral & Mental Health Cancer Ear, Nose & Throat Endocrinology Gastroenterology Heart & Vascular Imaging Neurosciences Orthopaedics
      Physical Rehabilitation Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Primary Care Senior Services Sports Medicine Telemedicine Transplant Surgery Walk-In Care Weight Management Women’s Health
      See all Services
    • Services by Region
    • Find a UPMC health care facility close to you quickly by browsing by region.
      UPMC in Western Pa. Western Pa. and New York
      UPMC in Central Pa. Central Pa.
      UPMC in North Central Pa. North Central Pa.
      UPMC in Western Md. Maryland & West Virginia
    • See All Services
  • Locations
    • Locations by Type
    • Locations by Type
      UPMC hospitals
      Hospitals
      Physical Therapy
      Physical Therapy
      Urgent care
      Walk-In Care
      UPMC Outpatient Centers
      Outpatient Centers
      UPMC Imaging Services
      Imaging
      Community Health Centers
      Community Health Centers
      See All Locations
    • Locations by Region
    • Locations by Region
      UPMC in Southwest Pa. Southwest Pa.
      UPMC in North Central Pa. North Central Pa.
      UPMC in Northwest Pa and Ny. Northwest Pa. & Western N.Y.
      UPMC in West Central Pa. West Central Pa.
      UPMC in Central Pa. Central Pa.
      UPMC in Western Md. Maryland & West Virginia
    • See All Locations
  • Patients & Visitors
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
      Patients and Visitors Resources Pay a Bill Classes & Events Medical Records Health Library Patient Information
      Patient Portals Privacy Information Shared Decision Making Traveling Patients Visitor Information
      Man uses mobile phone
      Pay a Bill
      Nurse reviews medical chart
      Request Medical Records
  • Patient Portals
  • Find Covid-19 updates
  • Schedule an appointment
  • Request medical records
  • Pay a bill
  • Learn about financial assistance
  • Find classes & events
  • Send a patient an eCard
  • Make a donation
  • Volunteer
  • Read HealthBeat blog
  • Explore UPMC Careers
Skip to Content
UPMC
  • Patient Portals
  • For Patients & Visitors
    • Find a Doctor
    • Locations
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
    • Pay a Bill
    • Services
    • More
      • Medical Records
      • Financial Assistance
      • Classes & Events
      • HealthBeat Blog
      • Health Library
  • About UPMC
    • Why UPMC
    • Facts & Stats
    • Supply Chain Management
    • Community Commitment
    • More
      • Financials
      • Support UPMC
      • UPMC Apps
      • UPMC Enterprises
      • UPMC International
  • For Health Care Professionals
    • Physician Information
    • Resources
    • Education & Training
    • Departments
    • Credentialing
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Newsroom
  • UPMC >
  • Locations >
  • Hospitals >
  • ... >
  • UPMC Hamot >
  • Our Services >
  • Bariatric Services >
  • Defining Obesity
UPMC Hamot
About Us
Our Services
Audiology
Bariatric Services
Defining Obesity
GERD Treatment
Lap Sleeve
Gastric Bypass
Process Overview
What to Expect After Surgery
Patient Stories
Support Groups
Information Sessions
Nonsurgical Weight Management
Contact Us
Behavioral Health Services
Breast Health
Cancer
Center for Healthy Living
Corporate Health
Critical & Intensive Care
Diabetes Education
Digestive Health
Emergency Department
Endocrinology
Esophageal and Lung Surgery
General Surgery
Health Screenings
UPMC Home Healthcare
Home Medical Supplies
Hospice
Hospitalist
Imaging
Infectious Diseases
Interventional Radiology
Kidney Transplant
Liver Disease
Neurosciences
Palliative Care
Pediatrics
Physical Therapy
Plastic Surgery
Pulmonology
Robotic Surgery
Sleep Disorders Center
Speech Pathology
Surgery Center
Trauma
Urology
Wound Care
Patients & Visitors
Careers & Training
Locations, Directions, & Parking
Contact Us
UPMC Hamot
About Us
Our Services
Audiology
Bariatric Services
Defining Obesity
GERD Treatment
Lap Sleeve
Gastric Bypass
Process Overview
What to Expect After Surgery
Patient Stories
Support Groups
Information Sessions
Nonsurgical Weight Management
Contact Us
Behavioral Health Services
Breast Health
Cancer
Center for Healthy Living
Corporate Health
Critical & Intensive Care
Diabetes Education
Digestive Health
Emergency Department
Endocrinology
Esophageal and Lung Surgery
General Surgery
Health Screenings
UPMC Home Healthcare
Home Medical Supplies
Hospice
Hospitalist
Imaging
Infectious Diseases
Interventional Radiology
Kidney Transplant
Liver Disease
Neurosciences
Palliative Care
Pediatrics
Physical Therapy
Plastic Surgery
Pulmonology
Robotic Surgery
Sleep Disorders Center
Speech Pathology
Surgery Center
Trauma
Urology
Wound Care
Patients & Visitors
Careers & Training
Locations, Directions, & Parking
Contact Us

Chat Keywords List

  • cancel or exit: Stops your conversation
  • start over: Restarts your current scenario
  • help: Shows what this bot can do
  • terms: Shows terms of use and privacy statement
  • feedback: Give us feedback
Continue
Chat with UPMC
RESTART
MENU
CLOSE

Defining Obesity

UPMC Content 2

A clear definition of morbid obesity is very important because this definition is used to guide doctors in the selection of treatment options for people who are overweight. Individuals are usually considered morbidly obese if their weight is more than 80 to 100 pounds above their ideal body weight.

A more widely accepted and more exact way to define morbid obesity is with the body mass index (BMI). The BMI is calculated as follows:

BMI = weight (kg)/height (m2)

A BMI above 40 indicates that a person is morbidly obese and therefore a candidate for bariatric surgery. Bariatric surgery may also be an option for people with a BMI between 35 and 40 who suffer from life-threatening cardiopulmonary problems, diabetes, or other medical problems listed below. However, as in other treatments for obesity, successful results can be affected by motivation and behavior.

People who are obese have higher rates of medical problems. The chance of problems such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and premature death increases dramatically as weight increases. Morbidly obese men between the ages of 25 and 35 have a 12-fold greater risk of dying prematurely compared to people of the same age who are of normal weight.

Medical Conditions Commonly Caused By Obesity

  • Pulmonary (related to lungs) - obstructive sleep apnea, obesity hypoventilation syndrome, asthma/reactive airway disease
  • Cardiac (related to heart) - high blood pressure, heart failure caused by pulmonary hypertension, higher risk of coronary artery disease (atherosclerosis)
  • Gastrointestinal, abdominal - gallbladder disease, GERD (recurrent heartburn), recurrent ventral hernias, fatty liver
  • Endocrine - diabetes, hirsutism, hyperlipidemia, hypercholesterolemia
  • Genito-urinary, reproductive - frequent urinary tract infections (UTIs), stress, urinary incontinence, menstrual irregularity or infertility
  • Musculoskeletal - degeneration of knees and hips, disc herniation, chronic non-surgical low back pain
  • Skin - multiple disorders, most related to diabetes and yeast infections between skin folds
  • Cancer risk - breast, uterine, prostate, renal, colon, pancreatic, gastric, gallbladder, and endometrium
  • Decreased life expectancy - morbidly obese patients live 10-15 years less than normal weight people
UPMC
200 Lothrop Street Pittsburgh, PA 15213

412-647-8762 800-533-8762

Patients And Visitors
  • Find a Doctor
  • Locations
  • Pay a Bill
  • Patient & Visitor Resources
  • Disabilities Resource Center
  • Services
  • Medical Records
  • No Surprises Act
  • Price Transparency
  • Financial Assistance
  • Classes & Events
  • Health Library
Health Care Professionals
  • Physician Information
  • Resources
  • Education & Training
  • Departments
  • Credentialing
Newsroom
  • Newsroom Home
  • Inside Life Changing Medicine Blog
  • News Releases
About
  • Why UPMC
  • Facts & Stats
  • Supply Chain Management
  • Community Commitment
  • Financials
  • Supporting UPMC
  • HealthBeat Blog
  • UPMC Apps
  • UPMC Enterprises
  • UPMC Health Plan
  • UPMC International
  • Nondiscrimination Policy
Life changing is...
Follow UPMC
  • Contact Us
  • Website/Email Terms of Use
  • Medical Advice Disclaimer
  • Privacy Information
  • Active Privacy Alerts
  • Sitemap
© 2025 UPMC I Affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences Supplemental content provided by Healthwise, Incorporated. To learn more, visit healthwise.org
Find Care
Providers
Video Visit
Portal Login