Interní Med. 2008; 10(5): 227-230

Obesity and pharmacologic therapy

MUDr. RNDr. Tomáš Brychta Ph.D¹, MUDr. Svetlana Brychtová Ph.D^1,2

¹ NZZ SPEA Olomouc s. r. o., interní, diabetologická a obezitologická ambulance, Olomouc

² Ústav patologické anatomie, LF UP Olomouc

Obesity is a chronic metabolic disease caused by pathophysiologic and genetic changes. The disease has serious medical and economical outcomes, recetly, it has even become the second most frequent cause of death after smoking. On the basis socioeconomics studies it is obvious that the treatment of obesity including pharmacotherapy will have to assume the same position in the health care system as hypertension or dyslipidemia. A therapy of obesity should be complex including in addition to a diet and changes of physical and behavioral states also pharmacotherapy. Currently three drugs have been recommended to long-therm therapy – sibutramin, rimonabant, orlistat. These antiobesitics reliably ensure a weigt reduction and are sufficient to healths improvement and a decrease of chronic complications, simultaneously with minimal adverse effects, which are mostly transient.

Keywords: obesity, pharmacotherapy, weight reduction, sibutramin, rimonabant, orlistat

Published: June 1, 2008  Show citation