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Tests and diagnosis

By Mayo Clinic staff

If your doctor believes you are overweight or obese, he or she will typically review your health history in detail, perform a physical exam and recommend some tests.

These exams and tests generally include:

  • Taking your health history. Your doctor may review your weight history, weight-loss efforts, exercise habits, eating patterns, what other conditions you've had, medications, stress levels and other issues about your health. Your doctor may also review your family's health history to see if you may be predisposed to certain conditions.
  • Checking for other health problems. If you have known health problems, your doctor will evaluate them. Your doctor will also check for other possible health problems in the examination and laboratory tests, such as high blood pressure and diabetes.
  • Calculating your BMI. Your doctor will check your body mass index (BMI) to determine your level of obesity. Your BMI also helps determine your overall health risk and what treatment may be appropriate.
  • Measuring your waist circumference. Fat stored around your waist, sometimes called visceral fat or abdominal fat, may further increase your risk of diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. Women with a waist measurement (circumference) of more than 35 inches and men with a waist measurement of more than 40 inches may have more health risks than do people with smaller waist measurements.
  • A general physical exam. This includes measuring your height, checking vital signs, such as heart rate, blood pressure and temperature, listening to your heart and lungs, and examining your abdomen.
  • Blood tests. What tests you have depend on your health and risk factors. They may include a cholesterol test, liver function tests, fasting glucose, a thyroid test and others, depending on your health situation. Your doctor may also recommend certain heart tests, such as an electrocardiogram.

Gathering all this information helps you and your doctor determine how much weight you need to lose and what health conditions or risks you have. And this will shape what treatment options are right for you.

Treatments and drugs Preparing for your appointment
References
  1. Defining overweight and obesity. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/defining.html. Accessed Feb. 14, 2011.
  2. Still CD, et al. Obesity. In: Rakel & Bope: Conn's Current Therapy. 60th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/117958748-3/0/1621/295.html#4-u1.0-B978-1. Accessed Feb. 15, 2011.
  3. Bray GA. Etiology and natural history of obesity. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 16, 2011.
  4. Kushner RF. Obesity management. Gastroenterology Clinics of North America. 2007;36:191.
  5. Duval K, et al. Health-related quality of life in morbid obesity. Obesity Surgery. 2006;16:574.
  6. Hainer V, et al. Treatment modalities of obesity: What fits whom? Diabetes Care. 2008;31(suppl 2):S269.
  7. Understanding adult obesity. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://www.win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/understanding.htm. Accessed Feb. 15, 2011.
  8. Bray GA. Overview of therapy for obesity in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 16, 2011.
  9. Svetkey LP, et al. Comparison of strategies for sustaining weight loss: The Weight Loss Maintenance Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2008;299:1139.
  10. The practical guide: Identification, evaluation, and treatment of overweight and obesity in adults. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/obesity/prctgd_c.pdf. Accessed Feb. 15, 2011.
  11. Donnelly JE, et al. American College of Sports Medicine position stand: Appropriate physical activity intervention strategies for weight loss and prevention of weight regain for adults. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2009;41:459.
  12. Sacks F, et al. Comparison of weight-loss diets with different compositions of fat, protein, and carbohydrates. New England Journal of Medicine. 2009;360:859.
  13. Jones D, et al. Surgical management of severe obesity. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 16, 2011.
  14. Meridia (sibutramine): Market withdrawal due to risk of serious cardiovascular events. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/SafetyInformation/SafetyAlertsforHumanMedicalProducts/ucm228830.htm. Accessed Oct. 8, 2010.
  15. Najm W, et al. Herbals used for diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome. Primary Care. 2010;37:237.
  16. Cho SH, et al. Acupuncture for obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Obesity. 2009;33:183.
  17. Completed safety review: Xenical/Alli (Orlistat) and severe liver injury. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/PostmarketDrugSafetyInformationforPatientsandProviders/ucm213038.htm. Accessed Feb. 16, 2011.
DS00314 May 6, 2011

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