Archive for December, 2008
Obesity also increases the risk of developing a number of chronic diseases. In the United States, women are slightly more at risk for becoming obese than men.
Obesity in children and adolescents is a serious issue with many health and social consequences that often continue into adulthood. Obesity is the nominal form of obese which comes from the Latin obesus, which means "stout, fat, or plump." Esus is the past participle of edere (to eat), with ob added to it. Several human cultures, plumpness was associated with physical attractiveness, strength, and fertility. Some of the earliest known cultural artifacts, known as Venus figurines, are pocket-sized statuettes representing an obese female figure. Although their cultural significance is unrecorded, their widespread use throughout pre-historic. This is most likely due to their ability to easily bear children and survive famine. Obesity, especially central obesity (male-type or waist-predominant obesity), is an important risk factor for the "metabolic syndrome" ("syndrome X"), the clustering of a number of diseases and risk factors that heavily predispose for cardiovascular disease.
Like any cancer, a doctor needs to be very accurate when making a diagnosis if a person comes in complaining of symptoms that could be mesothelioma. One of the most important things for the doctor to be aware of is if the person has ever been exposed to asbestos or if the person suspects he or she might have been exposed to asbestos at some point. This is the most important piece to diagnosing mesothelioma early.