In Nijmegen researchers monitored TB patients both with and without diabetes while they received treatment, they found that co-morbid individuals were more likely to have positive sputum results after six months of TB treatment, 22.2% compared with only 9.5% of the non-complicated TB cases.
Managers explained that what was previously a major part of their work, i.e. planned visits for patients with chronic diseases, who were often multi-morbid individuals who sometimes required home visits, had been reduced in favour of drop-in receptions used mainly by patients who were generally healthier and who attended with minor complaints.
Low frequency variants in MC4R were identified in morbid obese individuals (BMI > 40 kg/m) and were associated with obesity [ 88, 89].
In morbid obese individuals, such as those studied herein (BMI > 35 kg/m), coexist both hypertrophy and hyperplasia, however in these severe forms of obesity hyperplasia became most predominant [ 9, 45].
In contrast to people with diabetes and co-morbid depression, individuals with screen-detected diabetes and depression would be unaware of their glucose tolerance status prior to undergoing an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT).
Ethnic disparities were also found for prevalent co-morbid depression in individuals with T2DM, whereby significantly higher rates were identified in South-Asian compared to White-European people, and adjustments for age and gender did not alter these differences [14].
Importantly, epilepsy is often a co-morbid condition in individuals with intellectual disability (ID), autism or schizophrenia and may be a feature of many metabolic conditions and genetic syndromes.
What this study adds to the existing literature is that in the group of individuals with morbid obesity the percentage of smokers increased as the BMI increased.
Furthermore, a study by the same group demonstrated higher progranulin levels in insulin resistant compared with insulin-sensitive individuals with morbid obesity (7).
Regular surveillance of all RYGB candidate and persistent follow-up with comprehensive nutrient profiles is strongly recommended to improve the overall health status of individuals with morbid obesity.
Although generic instruments for measuring health-related quality of life such as the Medical Outcome Survey - Short Form 36 (MOS-SF-36) [ 8] provide useful information, they are not designed to measure the specific range of health-related problems experienced by individuals with morbid obesity.
