Prevention and Treatment of Obesity - Difficulties and Novel Ideas

**239**

**Chapter 14**

**Abstract**

**1. Introduction**

(BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m2

\$2 trillion [1–3].

obesity is lower (25 kg/m<sup>2</sup>

and cost of drugs and bariatric surgery.

*Hassan M. Heshmati*

can play a major role in the management of obesity.

**Keywords:** medical devices, obesity, weight loss, weight management

Obesity is excess body weight for a given height, defined by a body mass index

with increased morbidity/mortality and high cost for the society. The prevalence of obesity has doubled in more than 70 countries since 1980. The number of adult subjects with obesity is around 700 million worldwide. Nearly 4 million subjects die each year from the consequences of obesity. The annual cost of obesity is more than

Management of obesity requires multidisciplinary approaches including diet, food supplement, exercise, behavior change, drug, medical device, gut microbiome manipulation, and surgery [1, 4–9]. The annual obesity treatment market is around \$6 billion. In the USA, among subjects with obesity, only 2% receive drug therapy and less than 1% who are eligible for bariatric surgery benefits from it. The reasons for these undertreatment rates are mainly related to adverse effects/complications

Medical devices available 100 years ago were limited to stethoscope, original medical X-ray imaging device, and electrocardiograph [10]. Over the past several

. In some Asian countries (e.g., Japan), the threshold to define

). Obesity is a major health problem worldwide associated

Anti-Obesity Medical Devices

Obesity is a major health problem worldwide responsible for increased morbidity/mortality and high cost for the society. Management of obesity requires multidisciplinary approaches including diet, food supplement, exercise, behavior change, drug, medical device, gut microbiome manipulation, and surgery. Antiobesity medical devices are an option for subjects who have not responded to more conservative medical treatments but want an alternative to surgery. Compared to bariatric surgery, they have the advantage of being less invasive, easier to perform, and reversible. In the United States of America (USA), based on the expected weight loss, the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) categorizes anti-obesity medical devices as weightloss devices or weight-management devices. The weight-loss devices include gastric band devices, gastric space-occupying devices, and gastric emptying devices. The weight-management devices include oral removable palatal space-occupying devices and ingested transient gastric space-occupying devices. The effectiveness, safety, and cost of anti-obesity medical devices vary considerably by the type of medical device. Their use should always be combined with lifestyle changes. Considering the large market size of obesity treatment, anti-obesity medical devices
