It seems to be true. Doctors focus on the obesity and often forgo an opportunity to treat the patient’s other problems. My sister went to a prominent clinic in Cleveland for breathing issues and basically was told that she was “too fat.” I knew this did not really explain her shortness of breath, so I referred her on to the University Hospital in Pittsburgh where a diagnosis of Pulmonary Fibrosis was established by a lung biopsy and pulmonary function tests. Why didn’t doctors recognize this sooner and do the appropriate tests?
It’s true that the obesity epidemic is costing a lot for everyone including the lives of patients. Hospitals need to purchase “big boy” beds, huge operating tables, special scales, and special scanners. Bariatric surgery is flourishing. Sleep labs are finding an epidemic of sleep apnea in the patients with huge necks. It’s now a lucrative business for the sleep labs and the C-PAP manufacturers.
But none of this can excuse us from “profiling” the obese patient. Once in my office, I saw and treated a very obese patient for an unrelated problem. On the way out she said, “I’d like to thank for you for not telling me I’m too fat. I know that and I’m trying to lose weight. So thanks for just treating me like a normal patient.”