Obesity is a chronic medical condition. In clinical neurology practice, disorders related to or exacerbated by obesity include stroke, headache, and nerve damage such as carpal tunnel syndrome, meralgia paresthetica, idiopathic intracranial hypertensionand multiple sclerosis.
The two most common indexes in classifying obesity are: Body Mass Index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio. BMI, for most adults between 19 to 70 years of age can be calculated by a ratio of body weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared, and is also widely used for estimating body fat which correlates well with total body fat content in adults, despite that it does not distinguish excess fat from muscle builders and pregnant women. An adult who has a BMI of 25-29.9 is considered overweight and over 30 is obese. BMI of 35-40 is classified as severe obesity, 40–44.9 morbid obesity, and BMI greater than 45 is super obesity.
Obesity has been implicated in the development of several neurological disorders as a modifiable risk factor. Chronic pain syndromes, including headaches from idiopathic intracranial hypertension, or pseudotumor cerebri, are frequently seen in obese individuals.
The severity and frequency of migraine headaches are well correlated with the degree of obesity. On the other hand, weight loss may help to diminish migraines in obese individuals, for example, bariatric surgery, which reduces body weight, significantly reduces the frequency of migraine headaches in obese. It has been reported that obesity is associated with worsening cognitive functions.