The Impact of Weight Loss in a Japanese Cohort of Individuals Living with Obesity

OBJECTIVES: Obesity is a chronic progressive disease, associated with obesity-related complications (ORCs) and economic burden. Our aim is to measures the effect of 10% and 15% weight loss on ORCs incidence and healthcare costs over 5 years in a cohort representative of the Japanese population.

METHODS: Using population demographics and individual patient-level data from the MDV database of Electronic Medical Records, a cohort representing the Japanese population with a BMI of 25-50 kg/m² and aged 20-69 was established. A risk model developed from UK EMRs was employed to project the potential clinical effects of 10% and 15% weight loss, foreseeing the prevention of incident diagnoses for 10 ORCs over the next 5 years. The ORCs included were atrial fibrillation/flutter, asthma, chronic kidney disease, dyslipidaemia, heart failure, hip/knee osteoarthritis, hypertension, sleep apnoea, type 2 diabetes, and unstable angina/myocardial infarction. Direct annual treatment costs for these ORCs were sourced from literature and the IQVIA claims database, enabling an assessment of the economic implications of weight loss for both scenarios (10% and 15% weight loss), comparing them to a non-intervention scenario.

RESULTS: For the cohort of 100,000 individuals (43.1% women, 56.9% men) with age 20-69 and BMI 25–50 kg/m², the current yearly direct treatment costs were estimated to be 171.7 million $. The anticipated cumulative 5-year cost savings resulting from the reduction of incident ORCs amounted to 34.6 million $ and 47.7 million $ for 10% and 15% weight loss, respectively. The largest savings contributors were reduction in incidence of type 2 diabetes, dyslipidaemia, and hypertension.

CONCLUSIONS: Weight reduction could substantially prevent the development of new chronic obesity-related complications and reduce the clinical and economic burden.