Consequences of overweight in old age | Consequences of overweight

Consequences of overweight in old age

With increasing age overweight people usually suffer from various chronic diseases. They are then so-called multimorbid patients (people with several diseases) with a range of medications that they must take regularly. Quite a few overweight people suffer from diabetes, high blood pressure, elevated blood lipid levels (i.e.

a metabolic syndrome) and consequently also from arteriosclerosis, i.e. calcification of the blood vessels. Calcification of the vessels around the heart is also the cause of coronary heart disease (CHD). This is when the coronary arteries that supply the heart with blood so that it can work properly are narrowed.

As a result of the narrowing, at some point the patient experiences shortness of breath and sometimes chest pain. This symptomatology, which usually occurs under physical or mental stress, is called angina pectoris because the body then needs more oxygen than angina pectoris. In extreme cases, patients with severe CHD can suffer a heart attack.

Of course, arteriosclerosis not only affects the heart, but also the vessels in the brain calcify and can lead to a stroke. The mobility of overweight elderly people is significantly restricted compared to normal-weight people of the same age, as the joints are much more worn and cause pain. Often the knee and hip joint is no longer the natural joint, but an artificial joint has already been inserted due to excessive wear and tear. This usually happens earlier with overweight people than with normal weight people.

Consequences of overweight for society

Almost half of the population in Germany is overweight.This has increased strongly in recent years. One reason for this is the rapid availability of unhealthy food in the form of fast food restaurants and frozen meals. When people talk about the consequences of obesity for society, they are referring primarily to financial burdens.

Overweight people have to see a doctor more often because of the resulting secondary diseases and put a corresponding burden on the health care system. Studies by a Hamburg health economist Alexander Konnopka have shown that about 36,600 people die every year as a result of their obesity. The number is similarly high as the number of smokers who die of diseases as a result of nicotine consumption.

In the health system, obese people in Germany cause costs of 4.85 billion euros per year. The German government has stated that overweight people are responsible for about one third of the health system’s expenditure. Furthermore, it must also be taken into account that overweight people usually leave the labor market earlier due to their secondary diseases and accordingly no longer pay into health and pension insurance funds.

On average, an overweight person costs 25% more than a person of normal weight. However, this is partly compensated for by the usually lower life expectancy of a few years.