ABSTRACT
Obesity is a prevalent and complex disease. The prevalence of obesity in Korea increased from 29.7% in 2010 to 35.7% in 2018, with the prevalence of abdominal obesity being 23.8% in 2018. Obesity contributes to medical costs and socioeconomic burden due to associated comorbidities. The treatment and management of obesity is changing based on new clinical evidence. The 2020 Korean Society for the Study of Obesity Guideline for the Management of Obesity in Korea summarizes evidence-based recommendations and treatment guidelines.
ABSTRACT
Obesity is a serious and growing worldwide health challenge associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, osteoarthritis, some cancers, sleep apnea, asthma, and nonalcoholic fatty liver. The Korean Society for the Study of Obesity recommends that pharmacotherapy should be considered when intensive lifestyle modifications fail to achieve a weight reduction in obese patients with a body mass index ≥25 kg/m2. Long-term medications for obesity have traditionally fallen into two major categories: centrally acting anorexiant medications and peripherally acting medications, such as orlistat. In this paper, we provide an overview of the anti-obesity medications currently available for the long-term and individualized treatment of obesity.
