Why Adiposity-based Chronic Disease (ABCD)?
Adiposity-based chronic disease (ABCD) is the new diagnostic term for obesity proposed in a position statement, March 2017, by American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) and the American College of Endocrinology (ACE).
Why ABCD
Adiposity – obesity (excessive accumulation of fat within the body)
Based – a point at which something can develop
Chronic – persisting over a long period of time
Disease – interruption of the normal function of the body or structure of a body part or system
Transitioning the term obesity to ABCD is an effort to shift the emphasis from a medical diagnostic model based exclusively on body mass index (BMI) to one that recognizes the pathophysiological effects of excess weight as well. Also, it avoids the stigma of the currently used terms: overweight, obesity, and excessive fat, which have fostered discrimination toward patients during the past 50 years.
Take Away
Ultimately, the aim of updating the term obesity to Adiposity-based chronic disease (ABCD) is to improve the quality of care provided by medical and health-care institutions.
ICD-10 (The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems) coding has not been updated. But, watch for this term to take its place in the medical language lexicon and eventually in the ICD-11 codes.
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