many potential organ donors have to be struck off the list

Ukmedix News has learned that one of the side effects of the growing obesity problem worldwide is that many potential organ donors have to be struck off the list because their excessive weight has rendered their organs unusable.

For example obese people who require liver transplants due to liver failure from fatty liver disease find that their surgeons are often faced with a dilemma about the quality of the donor liver because it has also come from an overweight or obese individual.

It is almost as if a vicious circle is being created where people who are dying from obesity related illnesses donate their organs which end up being directed towards other people who are also suffering from obesity related illnesses and thus the quality overall of the donor organs is getting worse and worse.

The problem with organ donation from obese individuals is many restricted to the liver and the heart which tend to be the most affected by unhealthy eating. Normally the lungs and other organs are not affected negatively by obesity.

Surgeons tend to use a 30% fat threshold which determines whether a liver will be transplanted or not, since the risk of the liver failing completely is massively increased at this point. Overweight and obese individuals should also be aware that they are at increased risk of death from surgical complications due to their weight.

The list of obesity related health problems is enormous and someone who has been obese for most of their life is unlikely to make it to old age without getting seriously ill at some point.

Obesity is being referred to as an epidemic in some countries where national health bills are rocketing and children and teenagers are becoming increasingly fat. People who enter adulthood being obese tend to stay that way for the rest of their lives as eating and exercise habits tend to be formed when very young.