This activity is provided by the Network for Continuing Medical Education.

This activity is supported by an educational grant from the sanofi-aventis Group.

INTRODUCTION AND PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
eMedicine is delighted to offer this free CME activity based on presentations given at the 2005 Annual Scientific Meeting of NAASO, The Obesity Society, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on October 16, 2005. The Network for Continuing Medical Education (NCME) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The NCME designates this educational activity for a maximum of 2 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.

Persons who attended the symposium are NOT eligible for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit for completing this enduring material. Please note that the course is accredited only for physicians (MD, DO, or equivalent). All other participants receive a certificate of completion.

More than 110 million US adults are either overweight or obese, creating an epidemic of associated cardiometabolic health consequences. Indeed, 27% of US adults (57 million) have the metabolic syndrome, and 37% have 2 or more cardiovascular risk factors. Moreover, the incidence of diabetes has increased 25% in the last 20 years. Despite these statistics, obesity is not perceived as a chronic disease, and the effect of abdominal obesity on the risk of development or progression of cardiovascular disease is poorly understood.

In this interactive CME course, a panel of experts in cardiology, endocrinology, and obesity management present a focused approach to disrupting the continuum of cardiometabolic risks associated with abdominal obesity and other components of the metabolic syndrome. Tools and techniques for assessing risk, the role of lifestyle changes, and current and future treatment options also are discussed.

This activity is composed of the following audio/slide/video presentations: Welcome and Introduction (Louis J. Aronne, MD, FACP, Chair) Interrelationship Between Cardiometabolic Risk Factors and the Development and Progression of Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes (Steven M. Haffner, MD) Importance of Diagnosing and Treating the Metabolic Syndrome in Reducing Cardiovascular Risk (Steven R. Smith, MD) Use of Drug Therapy and Lifestyle Changes Treatment Plans in Controlling Cardiometabolic Risk Factors (F. Xavier Pi-Sunyer, MD, MPH) Potential Role of New Therapies in Modifying Cardiovascular Risk in Overweight Patients With Metabolic Risk Factors (Michael D. Jensen, MD) Question-and-Answer Session