Figure 7.

Schematic of potential effects of obesity on debilitating diseases, such as heart failure and ESRD, and impact on mortality of unmeasured risk factors such as poor nutrition, cachexia, unstable hemodynamic status, genetics, and others.

Note: The bidirectional relationship between unmeasured risk factors and ESRD and heart failure, indicates that some risk factors for mortality, such as cachexia, can occur as a result of the disease, whereas other unmeasured risk factors may exacerbate the disease beyond that which can be attributed to obesity.

Abbreviation: ESRD, end-stage renal disease.