Anatomic Characteristics
Anatomic Characteristics of Adipose Tissue and Fat Distribution. Obesity is a disease whose pathology lies in the increased size and number of fat cells. An anatomic classification of obesity from which a pathologic classification arises is based on the number of adipocytes, on the regional distribution of body fat, or on the characteristics of localized fat deposits
Hypertrophic Obesity
Enlarged fat cells are the pathologic of obesity. Enlarged fat cells are often associated with metabolic disorders such as glucose intolerance, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and coronary artery disease.
Hypercellular Obesity
An increased number of fat cells usually occurs when obesity develops in childhood. This type of obesity tends to be severe. Increased numbers of fat cells may also occur in adult life and this is to be expected when the body mass index (BMI) is >40 kg/m2.