Fast Five Quiz: Obesity Comorbidities

Elif A. Oral, MD

Disclosures

January 31, 2022

In addition to lifestyle modifications, pharmacotherapy can be considered for weight management in patients who have limited treatment response to lifestyle modifications alone and have a BMI ≥ 30 or a BMI ≥ 27 in the presence of weight-related comorbidities, such as hypertension. When antiobesity pharmacotherapy is prescribed for individuals with or at risk for hypertension, it is important to consider the mechanism of action when selecting a treatment option. There is a potential risk for increased blood pressure with sympathomimetic amines related to their mechanism of action, which includes increasing catecholamine levels; however, clinically significant increases in blood pressure have not been observed in randomized controlled trials of these drugs, which may be attributable to concomitant weight loss.

Orlistat, a lipase inhibitor, has a generally favorable safety profile attributable to its peripheral mechanism of action. However, it is often poorly tolerated because of a high occurrence of loose stools, fecal urgency, and flatus when patients do not strictly adhere to a low-fat diet while taking this drug.

Learn more about weight loss strategies for patients with hypertension.

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