XenicalAntiobesity drug
- This is a preview of the essay.
To view the full text you must login!
Therapeutics 1
DRUG OF CHOICE: XENICAL (Orlistat)
Xenical (Orlistat) is a new drug introduced to combat obesity in a community where obesity is becoming widespread, predisposing affected individuals to diseases that increase mortality in the community. Such link should not be overlooked, the number of diseases that name obesity to be a risk factor are untold. Common examples are; Hypertension, diabetes, sleep apnoea, osteoarthritis, and metabolic disorders including hyperlipidaemia and hypertrigylceridaemia. Such metabolic disorders give rise to changes in levels of HDL and LDL which are atherogenic and hasten the progression of heart disease. Obesity also influences testosterone levels in males whilst in women it may lead to an elevation in androgens (Caterson 2001).
The incidence of obesity has been linked to the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus. This is due to the increase in abdominal fat mass which corresponds significantly with insulin resistance and glucose tolerance. Therefore there has been significant amounts evidence to suggest that weight loss was a starting point in treating diabetes, and may also reverse it (Zimmet 2001).
Obesity itself is a cardiovascular risk factor and there is also a relationship between hypertension and obesity. This is due to the need for the heart to serve more body cells, in doing so the blood volume expands, and the heart works harder, in turn increasing the blood pressure (Munson 1995)...