The Relationship of Obesity to Hospice Use and Expenditures
Authors: Deepak Gupta
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2017)

Letters17 October 2017The Relationship of Obesity to Hospice Use and ExpendituresDeepak Gupta, MDDeepak Gupta, MDFrom Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan.Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/L17-0312 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:It is about time that the hospice care needs of obese persons were recognized, as Harris and colleagues have done (1). To our understanding (2), a few interesting things can be deciphered from their results. Almost one half of the aging population is already overweight/obese. Compared with underweight patients (body mass index [BMI] < 18.5 kg/m2), morbidly obese patients (BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2) died more than a decade younger, were relatively more likely to belong to a minority race, were more likely to be married/partnered, and were less likely to be demented at the time of death. The obese ...References1. Harris JA, Byhoff E, Perumalswami CR, Langa KM, Wright AA, Griggs JJ. The relationship of obesity to hospice use and expenditures. A cohort study. Ann Intern Med. 2017;166:381-9. [PMID: 28166546]. doi:10.7326/M16-0749 LinkGoogle Scholar2. Dotinga R. Terminally ill obese people less likely to receive hospice care. 6 February 2017. Accessed at www.upi.com/Health_News/2017/02/06/Terminally-ill-obese-people-less-likely-to-receive-hospice-care/6911486437312 on 8 September 2017. Google Scholar3. Goodlin SJ, Kutner JS, Connor SR, Ryndes T, Houser J, Hauptman PJ. Hospice care for heart failure patients. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2005;29:525-8. [PMID: 15904755] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Tinkering with hospice: the Medicare Care Choices Model. Center for Medicare Advocacy. 2017. Accessed at www.medicareadvocacy.org/medicare-care-choices-model-is-it-better-for-hospice on 8 September 2017. Google Scholar5. Gupta D. Moribund obesity as a palliative care diagnosis [Letter]. J Palliat Med. 2009;12:515-6. [PMID: 19508135] doi:10.1089/jpm.2009.0043 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan.Disclosures: Authors have disclosed no conflicts of interest. Forms can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=L17-0312. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoThe Relationship of Obesity to Hospice Use and Expenditures John A. Harris , Elena Byhoff , Chithra R. Perumalswami , Kenneth M. Langa , Alexi A. Wright , and Jennifer J. Griggs The Relationship of Obesity to Hospice Use and Expenditures John A. Harris , Chithra R. Perumalswami , Kenneth M. Langa , Alexi A. Wright , and Jennifer J. Griggs Metrics 17 October 2017Volume 167, Issue 8Page: 604-605KeywordsAgingBody mass indexMedical dialysisMedicareObesityOverweightPatientsPulmonary hypertensionRacial and ethnic issuesRenal failure ePublished: 17 October 2017 Issue Published: 17 October 2017 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2017 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...