Medical Evaluation For Weight Loss - When To See A Doctor: Obesity

Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School

Medical evaluation for weight loss

Whether you start by seeing your own doctor or a weight-loss specialist, the evaluation will begin with your complete medical history. The doctor will ask you how long you've been overweight. This is an important question because it narrows down the possible causes of your excess weight as well as the effective treatments. If you have been overweight since childhood, you probably have a strong genetic predisposition to be overweight. A lifelong weight problem is usually harder to treat without drugs or surgery than one that developed in adulthood. On the other hand, if you've gained weight recently, a program of dieting, exercise, and behavior modification may be enough to help you lose weight and keep it off.

The doctor will also want to know what you have done on your own to lose weight. What diets have you tried? Did you lose weight on any of these plans? How long did you keep off the weight, and how much did you regain? This information can help your doctor determine strategies that might be more successful.

In addition to your personal history, the doctor will ask you about your family history. Are your biological parents overweight? Does obesity run in at least part of your family? If so, the chances are that genetics plays a large part in your problem. Do you have a family history of disorders that can be caused by obesity, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, or breast cancer? If so, you, too, are at high risk for these problems. In particular, you will be at higher risk for such conditions than if you were overweight but had no family history of them. Such information can also suggest whether you might need aggressive weight-loss treatments, such as medication or surgery.

As part of your medical history, the doctor will need to know the names of all the medications you have been taking. Several drugs can cause weight gain, increase appetite, or interfere with weight-loss efforts. If your weight gain came on soon after you began taking one of these drugs, it may be the cause of your problem. Depending on your condition, you may not be able to stop taking the drug. But if you can substitute or add another drug, you might be able to lose the extra weight.

Other important information concerns symptoms, both physical and emotional. Do you have any symptoms of obesity-related conditions such as heart disease, stroke, hypertension, or type 2 diabetes? Do you have mood swings or other symptoms of depression, such as insomnia? If so, you may need additional tests to evaluate and diagnose these problems. If you appear to have depression, anxiety, or an eating disorder, your doctor may refer you to a psychologist or psychiatrist.

Last updated:	June 20, 2007