Patient T.K. D (33 years old, Ho Chi Minh City) is a financial and accounting staff, he works with a laptop for about 12 hours a day, is less active. When a ulcer appeared in his leg, the patient was subjective and did not go for examination. After 6 months the wound did not heal, he went to the hospital for examination.
At Ho Chi Minh City University Medical Center Hospital, the patient was recorded to be 1.70m tall but weighed 120kg, waist circumference 105cm. Examination results showed that he suffered from ischemic heart disease, gastroesophageal reflux, severe fatty liver, frequent snoring accompanied by sleep apnea, and increased blood pressure.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Quang Nam - Head of the Department of Endocrinology, University Medical Center Hospital of Ho Chi Minh City said: "Patients with overweight and obesity have signs of apnea when sleeping, so they are always tired during the day. Notably, hunger blood sugar is at 180 mg/dL, diagnosed with type 2 diabetes is newly discovered, patients then need long-term treatment to improve their health condition.
Speaking at the program to raise awareness about obesity, on World Obesity Day, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Quang Nam said that obesity is a complex chronic disease related to metabolic disorders, not simply a cosmetic issue. When the BMI is over 25 kg/m2, the risk of disease increases, treatment is difficult and costly, and many people give up because of costs and time.
He also said that most overweight and obese patients only go to the doctor when complications have appeared. Many others think that overweight and obesity can apply trendy diets like Keto without professional advice, which can affect health.
According to statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO), Vietnam has about 19.5% of the population (equivalent to 20 million people) living with overweight and obesity (BMI >= 25kg/m2). Notably, overweight and obesity in Vietnam are increasing by about 38%, ranking highest in Southeast Asia.
According to Ms. Nguyen Thuy Dung, representative of Decision Lab - a market research unit and data solution provider in Vietnam, Vietnam currently has the highest rate of obesity increase in Southeast Asia. In the period 2020-2035, the obesity rate is forecast to increase rapidly. Specifically, in adults it may increase by an average of 6.3% per year, while in children and adolescents under 19 years old it can reach 9.8% per year. This means that if there are no timely intervention measures, in just the next 10 years, the obesity situation in Vietnam may change significantly in a bad direction.
Not only affecting health, obesity also creates a large economic burden. According to forecasts, total costs caused by obesity may increase from 4 billion USD in 2020 to 16 billion USD in 2035. Direct healthcare costs alone are expected to increase from 372 million USD to about 1.27 billion USD in the same period.
However, Vietnam's readiness in preventing and treating obesity is still limited, currently ranked 108 out of 183 countries. The specialized treatment system is not synchronized, protocols and methods are not unified, causing difficulties for prescribing and monitoring patients in the long term.
We need to propagate to people about the harms when the body is overweight or obese. Do not search for unofficial information sources on social networks, but when there are signs of overweight and obesity, it is necessary to see experts or find consulting information from official sources to make health safer," Dr. Quang Nam emphasized.
