Prevalence of Diagnosed Comorbidities in Patients Potentially Eligible for Anti-Obesity Medication

Background: Obesity is associated with multiple comorbidities such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. The prevalence of comorbidities among people living with obesity has been described in multiple analyses but the overlap of comorbidities has not. This study assessed the prevalence of comorbidities, individually and in combination, among patients potentially eligible for anti-obesity medication. Methods: A retrospective, observational study was conducted using Optum Market Clarity database, which includes more than 72 million patients with both claims and electronic health record (EHR) data, to identify patients potentially eligible for anti-obesity medication per the 2013 AHA/ACC/TOS guideline between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2021. Eligibility was determined by age 18 or older and either evidence of obesity (at least one ICD-10 diagnosis code for obesity or at least one EHR indicating a BMI >30 kg/m2) or evidence of at least one diagnosis code for being overweight or at least one EHR indicating overweight [BMI 27 to