Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Changes in dietary habits coupled with sedentary lifestyles have led to a true pandemic of obesity. This situation has also been observed in the new nutrition consultation at La Merced Hospital in Osuna (Seville), where, after 6 months of operation, 88.9% of the patients were referred due to obesity.

Objective: To analyze the profile of patients referred for obesity to the nutrition consultation at La Merced Hospital, as well as the sources of these referrals.

Materials and Methods: An observational descriptive study was conducted. Patients referred for obesity to the Nutrition Consultation at La Merced Hospital from August 1 to December 31, 2023, were recorded. The age, gender, and body mass index (BMI) of the patients were analyzed, along with the specialty making the referral. The official referral criteria were BMI >40 or 35 kg/m² with at least two comorbidities (diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, or sleep apnea syndrome).

Results: A total of 137 patients referred for obesity were attended. 86 were females (62.77%), and 51 were males (37.23%). The mean age was 53 years (14-80), with the mean age for males being 52.33 years and for females 52.51 years. The mean BMI was 41.50 kg/m², with males at 41.92 kg/m² and females at 41.23 kg/m². Internal Medicine referred a total of 48 patients, followed by Traumatology with 32 patients, Pneumology with 24 patients, Surgery with 12 patients, Primary Care with 11 patients, Cardiology with 4 patients, Digestive with 2 patients, and Rheumatology, Anesthesia, Neurosurgery, and Rehabilitation with 1 patient each.

Conclusions: Obesity dominates most of the activity in the new nutrition consultation at La Merced Hospital. More women than men have been referred (62.77% vs 37.23%). The specialty that has referred more patients to the nutrition consultation for obesity is Internal Medicine, followed by Traumatology and Pneumology.