Record high level of admissions due to obesity
Strain put on NHS services in county
OBESITY-RELATED hospital admissions are at a record high in Leicestershire, putting the NHS under “unnecessary strain”.
The figures, which reveal the problem is worsening across the country, come as new research suggests obesity puts you at greater risk from coronavirus.
There were 18,145 admissions to hospitals across Leicestershire in 2018/19 where obesity was a primary or secondary factor.
Of that number, 40 were having bariatric surgery, which can include stomach stapling, gastric bypasses and sleeve gastrectomy.
The total number of admissions is up 32% from 13,745 admissions the year before, and is the highest figure seen since at least 2013/14 – the earliest year comparable figures are available at a local level.
That year there were just 3,015 admissions to hospitals in our area related to obesity, meaning the number is six times higher now than it was then.
An NHS spokesperson said: “With a 20% increase in hospital admissions nationally over the last five years directly linked to obesity, it is clear that obesity is causing diseases including cancer, heart attacks, stroke and type 2 diabetes, while putting unnecessary strain on NHS services.
“The NHS is playing its part through our Long Term plan, but other industries must also step up and prevent the harm obesity is causing, particularly to young people.”
As well as increasing the risk of the diseases listed here, early research suggests being obese may also make people more vulnerable to catching Covid-19, and at risk of becoming more ill if they do.
Studies have shown that people who are obese – those with a body mass index (BMI) of more than 30 – are disproportionately represented in patients critically ill with coronavirus in UK intensive care units.
They are also at greater risk of dying from the virus, even when other health conditions linked to obesity were taken into account.
An enzyme called ACE2, present in cells and thought to be found in high levels in fatty tissue in particular, has been discovered as the main way for the virus to enter the body.
Meanwhile, the immune response is not as good in people who are obese, due to inflammation driven by immune cells called macrophages that invade our fat tissue, interfering with how our cells respond to infection.
Being overweight also affects your fitness levels and lung capacity – meaning the more overweight you are, the more you’ll struggle to get oxygen into the blood and around the body.
Obesity often comes with other health issues, such as a weak heart or lungs, a poorly-functioning kidney or type 2 diabetes, all of which put extra stress on the body when a severe infection such as Covid-19 develops.
Meanwhile, it is more difficult to intubate obese patients in intenstive care, to scan them because of weight limits, and they may also be more tricky to turn, or prone, in order to relieve their breathing.
The figures show that people in Leicestershire are more likely than average to be hospitalised because of an obesityrelated condition.
The 18,145 obesity-related admissions to hospitals in the area in 2018/19 works out as 18 for every 1,000 people living there.
Meanwhile, the national average saw 16 hospitalisations for every 1,000 people in England.
Women made up two thirds of all admissions across Leicestershire, with 12,165 admissions for women and 5,975 for men.
Nationally, there were 875,663 admissions to hospitals in England with a primary or secondary diagnosis of obesity in 2018/19.
In 7,011 cases, the patient was being admitted for bariatric surgery.
The total number is up from 710,562 admissions the year before, and is the highest seen since at least 2008/09, when there were 102,987 such admissions.
For the first time, the national figures compare the number of admissions with deprivation.
The analysis shows that people living in the most deprived areas of the country are more than twice as likely to be admitted to hospital for an obesity-related condition as those in the least deprived areas.