Page 47 - Coespu 2018-4

In physical examination a doctor will evaluate an individual's overall appearance: skin and muscle
tone, the amount of body fat, their height
and weight, and eating habits. For the
adult it is useful the B.M.I. Body mass
index, or BMI, is a measure of body size.
It combines a person's weight with their
height. The results of a BMI
measurement can give an idea about
whether a person has the correct weight
for their height. BMI is a screening tool
that can indicate whether a person is
underweight or if they have a healthy
weight, excess weight, or obesity. In
general sense, if a person's BMI is outside of the healthy range, their health risks may increase
significantly.
Carrying too much weight can lead to a
variety of health conditions, such as type
2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and
cardiovascular problems.
A weigh that is too low can increase the
risk of malnutrition, osteoporosis, and
anemia. The doctor will make suitable
recommendations.
Unfortunately BMI does not measure
body fat directly, and it does not account
for age, sex, ethnicity, or muscle mass in
adults and for this reasons it is not a good
parameter for the athletes o for the people with big muscle mass. To calculate BMI in metric units,
use the following method: BMI = kg/m2. So, to calculate an adult's BMI: divide their weight in
kilograms (kg) by the square of their height in meters (m2) (since most people measure height in
centimeters (cm), divide height in cm by 100 to get height in meters). The result obtained is
associated with the ranges of this table:

BMI WEIGHT STATUS
Below 18.5 Underweight
18.5–24.9 Healthy
25.0–29.9 Overweight
30.0 and above Obese

If there are signs of malnutrition, a healthcare practitioner may order laboratory screening tests to
evaluate a person's blood and organ function. Additional individual tests may be ordered to look for
specific vitamin and mineral deficiencies. If general malnutrition and/or specific deficiencies are
diagnosed, then laboratory testing may be used to monitor the response to therapy. A person who

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