Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Jun 19:17:2505-2517.
doi: 10.2147/DMSO.S456028. eCollection 2024.

Prevalence of Obesity-Related Disease in a Danish Population - The Results of an Algorithm-Based Screening Program

Claus B Juhl  1   2   3   4 , Else Marie Bladbjerg  3   5 , Bibi Gram  3 , Torben Knudsen  3   6 , Mette Munk Lauridsen  3   6 , Niels-Peter Brøchner Nygaard  1   3   7 , Nina Drøjdahl Ryg  1   2   4 , Lars Skadhauge  3   8 , Anna-Marie Bloch Münster  3   5
Affiliations

Prevalence of Obesity-Related Disease in a Danish Population - The Results of an Algorithm-Based Screening Program

Claus B Juhl et al. Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes. .

Abstract

Purpose: The prevalence of obesity continues to rise. People with obesity are at increased risk of several diseases. We tested an algorithm-based screening program for people with a BMI above 30 kg/m2 and present data on the prevalence of previously undiagnosed obesity-related diseases.

Patients and methods: Seven hundred and sixty-nine persons with BMI > 30 kg/m2 and age 18-60 years were screened for diabetes (assessed by glycosylated hemoglobin and oral glucose tolerance test at HbA1c 43-48 mmol/mol), sleep apnea (screened by questionnaires and assessed by cardiorespiratory monitoring at indication of sleep disorder), liver steatosis or liver fibrosis (assessed by biochemistry and fibroscan) and arterial hypertension (assessed by both office and 24-hour blood pressure measurement). A reference group of people with a BMI of 18.5-29.9 kg/m2 was established.

Results: Of those referred, 73.0% were women. We identified new diabetes in 4.2%, prediabetes in 9.1%, moderate-to-severe sleep apnea in 25.1%, increased liver fat and increased liver stiffness in 68.1% and 17.4%, respectively, and hypertension or masked hypertension in 19.0%. The prevalence of diseases was much higher among men and increased with BMI. Except for hypertension, we found few participants with undiagnosed disease in the reference group.

Conclusion: An algorithm-based screening program is feasible and reveals undiagnosed obesity-related disease in a large proportion of the participants. The disproportional referral pattern calls for a tailored approach aiming to include more men with obesity.

Trial registration: Inclusion of the non-obese group was approved by the Scientific Ethics Committee of The Region of Southern Denmark (project identification number: S-20210091), and the study was reported at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT05176132).

Keywords: diabetes; hypertension; metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease; pre-diabetes; sleep apnea.

Plain language summary

The number of people with obesity is going up, and they are at a higher risk for various diseases. We tested a screening program for people referred with a BMI over 30 kg/m2 and presented the prevalence of diseases related to obesity. We screened 769 people aged 18 to 60 years with a BMI over 30 kg/m2 for diabetes (biochemistry and glucose tolerance test), sleep apnea (both questionnaires and home monitoring), liver disease (biochemistry and liver scan) and high blood pressure (office and 24-hour readings). We also tested a reference group of people with BMI 18.5-30 kg/m2. Among those screened, 73.0% were women. We found new cases of diabetes in 4.2%, prediabetes in 9.1%, sleep apnea in 25.1%, increased liver fat in 68.1%, increased liver stiffness in 17.4%, and hypertension or masked hypertension in 19.0%. The diseases were more common in men and increased with both higher BMI and age. Except for hypertension, we found few cases in the reference groups. The screening program uncovered undiagnosed obesity-related diseases in a large group of individuals. The uneven distribution of referrals suggests we need a customized approach to include more men with obesity.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Outlines the stepwise diagnostic procedures used to establish the diagnoses of diabetes and related conditions, sleep apnea, increased liver stiffness or increased liver fat, and arterial hypertension.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. World Health Organization. Obesity Update 2017. World Health Organization; 2017.
    1. Danskernes Sundhed. Den Nationale Sundhedsprofil 2017; 2018. Available from: https://www.sst.dk. Accessed June 14, 2024.
    1. Mainous AG, Tanner RJ, Jo A, Anton SD. Prevalence of prediabetes and abdominal obesity among healthy-weight adults: 18-year trend. Ann Fam Med. 2016;14(4):304–310. doi:10.1370/afm.1946 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. George ES, Roberts SK, Nicoll AJ, et al. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease patients attending two metropolitan hospitals in Melbourne, Australia: high risk status and low prevalence. Intern Med J. 2018;48(11):1369–1376. doi:10.1111/imj.13973 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Luque-Ramirez M, Marti D, Fernandez-Duran E, Alpanes M, Alvarez-Blasco F, Escobar-Morreale HF. Office blood pressure, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, and echocardiographic abnormalities in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: role of obesity and androgen excess. Hypertension. 2014;63(3):624–629. doi:10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.113.02468 - DOI - PubMed

Associated data