Kathleen Johnson's Case Study And Main Causes Of Obesity

This essay will discuss Kathleen Johnson, who is a 45-year-old female who has a BMI of 40 kg/m2. She is the sole carer for her father who has dementia. She has admitted that she drinks quite heavily, smokes and consumes several cups of coffee which is her way of coping with stress is. She has been admitted to hospital for a gastrectomy surgery for weight loss. Because Kathleen has had surgery it is necessary to understand her current diagnosis, obesity, her vital signs, what is considered normal and abnormal and link it to her condition to provide the best care. Obesity is a major health problem that is associated with other comorbidities and so education on its causes and treatment can help nurses support their patient and can refer them to
The main causes for obesity is an excessive energy intake and physical inactivity, this is known as primary obesity. Secondary obesity is associated with endocrine disorders, medication or psychiatric illnesses and are the underlying cause of obesity in small amounts of cases (Zhang et al., 2014). It is a major health concern globally, as it promotes co-morbidities such as heart diseases, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cancer, obstructive sleep apnoea and osteoarthritis and much more (Zhang et al.,
It is essentially a surgery on the stomach and/or intestines and is commonly done in-order to help people who are extremely obese lose weight and it has been found to be the only, and most effective for sustained weight loss (Lewis et.al, 2015). The patient, Kathleen Johnson, has had a Sleeve Gastrectomy also known as a Gastric Sleeve and it is where 75% of the stomach is removed leaving a sleeve-shaped stomach (Lewis et.al, 2015). Despite the large amount of stomach that has been removed, the function of the stomach remains intact. The removal of most of the stomach results in eliminating the hormones that are produced in the stomach that stimulate hunger, such as ghrelin (Lewis et.al,