Extremely Obese Man Stuck To Chair For Two Years Found Unconscious And Dies
Editor's ChoiceMain Category: Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness
Article Date: 31 Mar 2011 - 10:00 PST
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opinions'Extremely Obese Man Stuck To Chair For Two Years Found Unconscious And Dies'
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A 43-year old morbidly obese man who had been stuck to a reclining chair for two years was found unconscious by roommates who immediately called the police. The Ohio man died later at Wheeling Hospital, West Virginia.
According to medical staff, the man lived with a girlfriend and a friend in Bellaire, Ohio. They used to feed him because his skin was literally fused to the chair.
An obese person has so much body fat built up that it might have a negative effect on their health. A person is usually considered obese if their bodyweight is 20% higher than it should be, unless that person is a weightlifter or athlete. Somebody with a BMI (body mass index) of at least 30 is obese, those with a BMI of 40 or more are morbidly obese.
The police and firefighters said that when they came to his home his skin was stuck to the chair's fabric, he was infested with maggots and his own feces and urine. A policeman described the scene as the worst he had ever seen. After helping the man get out of his chair, another officer said he had to throw away his uniform. The conditions in the rest of the house were described as "filthy".
In order to get the man out of the house a section of a wall had to be removed.
Local city code enforcer, Jim Chase told WTRF:
"The living room where the man lived in his chair was very filthy, very deplorable. It's unbelievable that somebody lives in conditions like that."
He said he told the landlady and the two tenants to clean the house, and explained that humans cannot live in such deplorable conditions. Apparently, the cleaning is underway. He added that he will be monitoring their progress on a daily basis.
According to the landlady, the man would cover himself with a blanket every time she came round, hence she had no idea what was going on.
A few years ago a morbidly obese female became stuck to a sofa and eventually died.
In March this year a 6ft 8inch 575-pound man, Blair River, who was spokesman for the Heart Attack Grill died of a flu complication (pneumonia). His job was to promote a restaurant that was proud of serving super high-calorie meals. (Link)
Obesity is caused by eating too much, not being active enough, taking some medications, and not sleeping enough. Some hormonal conditions may also cause obesity. Being obese increases your risk of developing osteoarthritis, hypertension (high blood pressure), heart disease, gallbladder disease, high cholesterol and triglyceride levels, respiratory problems, several cancer, type 2 diabetes, and stroke. Obesity is linked to sleep apnea, however, recent research indicates that perhaps the effects of sleep apnea could lead to obesity, rather than the other way round.
Written by Christian Nordqvist
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today
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Visitor Opinions (latest shown first)
Horrible People - Re: obese man stuck to chair for two years and dies
posted by Shannen on 16 Apr 2011 at 7:33 amObviously this man was being abused by his so-called "friends". The pain must have been tremendous for him to endure. To claim that they took care of him is just crazy! Yes they took care of him, took his money and probably threatened him if he said anything to anyone when they came to the home. The land lord has to be a slum lord as well as a heartless person with nothing but a desire for the almighty dollar. I'm sure that none of these people actually STAYED in the house for long periods of time and mainly came to make sure he was still alive and that the checks were still coming. They also probably fed him enough to keep him alive. How SICK these people are! I am glad that this gentleman no longer has to suffer in this way. I pray that all three on charged in his death. This is beyond horrible! Let them live that way and see what it feels like.
Mark, you are wrong
posted by Michelle on 6 Apr 2011 at 6:00 pmMark...
The article most certainly does refer to sleep apnea. It appears you and Andrea both got it wrong.
~~Obesity is linked to sleep apnea, however, recent research indicates that perhaps the effects of sleep apnea could lead to obesity, rather than the other way round.~~
And don't you think if the gentleman could stand up he would have over the past two years?
What's wrong with those people!
posted by Gina on 4 Apr 2011 at 12:21 amIts obvious there was something wrong with the man who couldn't move from his chair in 2 years. but, I feel the caretakers were worse! they stood by and did nothing to help him. and I know one of them was his "girlfriend" I agree that they didn't do anything to help the man because they didn't want to loose the mans social security /SSI check.
I also have a problem with the "neighbors" that came over to vist him. they said he always had a blanket draped over him. They should of called someone...come on, they must of known something was wrong. it must of smelled really bad in that home. I hope they charge the people who lived with this man. they are responsible for that disabiled mans death.
Mark, Sleep Apnea Is Often Overlooked...
posted by Andrea on 3 Apr 2011 at 7:17 pmMark, the tragedy of sleep apnea is that all too often only the SYMPTOMS resulting from it are treated--doctors treat the constant hunger, the obesity, the diabetes, the depression, the heart disease, the hypertension, learning disabilities, drug abuse, chronic fatigue, etc, etc.
What the doctors are ignoring is the diagnosis and treatment of a very common CAUSE of these chronic health conditions: sleep apnea.
Treat the sleep apnea, and often these other conditions will improve or sometimes even resolve completely.
I know I'm stating the research in a VERY simplified manner. The factors involved in these chronic health conditions are far more complicated than can be represented in the comments section of Medical News Today.
But I refer you to the Wisconsin Sleep Study, which actually has resulted in some decent information because it is a longitudinal study with a broad sample from the general population.
This study is unlike previous sleep apnea research which was based on populations of people who were already obese or fairly ill from chronic metabolic health conditions.
Because the Wisconsin Sleep Study was based on a general population sample observed over the course of several decades, the researchers were able to determine that sleep apnea, independent of obesity, was actually the cause of diabetes, heart disease, and stroke in a high percentage of the population. This finding of a causal relationship was adopted by the national associations for diabetes, stroke and heart disease.
The study also found that sleep apnea created a metabolic "perfect storm" causing sufferers to experience intense hunger pangs and to process food differently from people without sleep apnea, thus leading to obesity for some sufferers.
I also refer you back to the body of the article above. Now I'm making some assumptions here which may be incorrect. But it sounds to me like the police and this man's roommates got rid of his recliner and cleaned up the house. When he was taken from his recliner because it was so filthy, I'm assuming the man was placed in a bed.
People with sleep apnea often sleep sitting up in an attempt to use gravity to help keep their airway from closing up completely when they sleep.
It is very dangerous for them to sleep in a prone position because their airway may close off completely and they may be unable to wake themselves up from sleep during an apnea episode, especially if they are taking medications which make them drowsy.
The fact that this man was found unconscious makes me ask the obvious question--was he lying down prone, or was he sitting propped up when he was found?
In other words, did his heart fail thus CAUSING him to stop breathing, or did his heart fail BECAUSE he stopped breathing (due to suffocation from undiagnosed and untreated obstructive sleep apnea?)
The next time you hear that a friend or family member has died "in his sleep" or "post-surgery" or "under anesthesia" you need to ask the same questions.
Or better yet, you need to make sure your friends and loved ones are being screened, diagnosed and aggressively treated for sleep apnea, so that their other health conditions, including obesity, might also improve. You may save a life.
I agree
posted by Jane on 3 Apr 2011 at 1:59 pmIt is most likely that this poor man was exchanging his disability checks, and prescription drugs, for what he saw as friendship or even family.
Re: Sleep Apnea
posted by Mark on 2 Apr 2011 at 11:30 amTo Andrea, did you read this article? It never mentions sleep apnea even once.
This article is about a morbidly obese man who chose a lifestyle of extreme gluttony and sedentary activity. He decided that he didn't want to get up off of his chair, not even to use the bathroom, for about two years. (Frankly, I don't know what would happen to his waste if he was sitting down. Wouldn't it pile up everywhere over time? Sickening beyond words.)
I agree that anyone checking in on him would immediately notice the smell, and the several inch layer of feces and urine that would cover the floor. It's incredible that someone would choose to live like that, when they had the ability to move.
Just because the man was obese does not mean that he necessarily had sleep apnea. And even if he did, 99.9999999% of people with sleep apnea do not get welded to their couches from not moving for 2 years. I don't think sleep apnea had anything to do with what happened to this guy. At all.
The real story
posted by Concerned Poster on 2 Apr 2011 at 7:36 amI live in the area that this happened. The Landlord, Lou Ann Bennett, has been in the news 6mo earlier about a child that was removed from one of her filthy houses.
She obviously knew what was happening. She is just there to collect rent money until her houses fall down.
The people living there were just leeching off of the guys disability checks. If they got help for him, the checks could possibly stop.
Check your Facts: the REAL connection between obesity & sleep apnea
posted by Andrea on 1 Apr 2011 at 9:18 amTo the author:
Check out the latest research on the relationship between obesity and sleep apnea and get your facts straight. The article's author says that obesity CAUSES sleep apnea, but this is just not proven to be the case. In fact,the opposite has been found to be true.
Regarding the relationship between metabolic syndrome and sleep apnea, the Wisconscin Sleep Study found that if left untreated, even mild to moderate sleep apnea doubles your risk of death by stroke, heart attack and diabetes.
People with untreated sleep apnea develop metabolic syndrome due to lack of adequate oxygen saturation to the blood stream during sleep and also due to a repeatedly interrupted sleep cycle.
Chronic, repeated oxygen deprivation during sleep and a fragmented sleep cycle BOTH cause profound damage to every part of the body, including metabolism (ability to regulate insulin and appetite), cardiac function, vascular function, circulation, mood regulation, memory, judgment, impulse control.
People die of heart attack,stroke, diabetes. People are too tired to get out of bed. People are too hungry to stop eating. People are too brain damaged to think clearly or have effect memory functioning.
They are fat, tired, sleepy, moody, forgetful, flaky BECAUSE they have sleep apnea. They may even abuse drugs to stay awake. They may abuse others because of impaired judgment and impulse control. Some studies have found that evaluating and treating violent offenders and sex offenders for sleep apnea REDUCES rates of subsequent sex offenses and violence.
As kids, people with sleep apnea often are diagnosed with ADHD and given stimulant meds, which treats the symptom, not the problem, leaving their bodies and brains to be damaged during crucial years of development and growth
In order for peopl with sleep apnea to lose weight, to learn, to function effectively in the world, they need to have their sleep apnea diagnosed and aggressively treated as soon as they develop sleep apnea.
People develop sleep apnea for a variety of reasons and at a variety of times througout the life span. Losing weight may help reduce the severity of sleep apnea, but in the long run, it will not stop the lethal effects of leaving it untreated, despite what most physicians currently believe. It will certainly not reduce the massive health care costs as we use prescription drugs and surgeries to treat symptoms (obesity, depression, anxiety, hypertension, diabetes, heart disease) rather than treat the underlying cause of these expensive health conditions.
Ultimately, identifying treating sleep apnea is what may help people described in the article gain the "will power" to physically get up and to physically stop eating. Sleep apnea causes sufferers to experience intense fatigue, profound sleepiness, ferocious hunger, all the while stealing from them their executive functioning (common sense, impulse control, mood regulation) and destroying their cardio vascular and metabolic functioning.
I urge physicians to routinely evaluate and aggressively treat patients for sleep apnea at various points throughout the lifespan.
If a child's body and brain develops without enough oxygen or without a complete sleep cycle, due to undiagnosed sleep apnea, the damage may be permanent, and subsequent treatment as an adult will likely be too late to prevent permanent damage to weight, health and mental health.
Disgusting
posted by Unreal on 1 Apr 2011 at 8:16 amIf this was a child, his 'caretakers' would have been charged with neglect. His girlfriend and his roommate should be charged.
Depraved Behavior
posted by Deborah on 31 Mar 2011 at 2:10 pmThe pure disregard to this man's plight by the so-called 'friends' that gave him food, when they should have helped him to get up and move is astonishing. When a human being becomes SO obese that mobility is lost, the very idea that another person would get them meals - I'm NOT talking about an invalid who's infirm or injured - but an otherwise healthy individual that CHOOSES to stop moving - and only ADD to the problems is astonishing in it's stupidity and yes, cruelty. This man WAS killed by the friends that enabled his condition to degrade to the point where he died, with his flesh literally bonded to the chair he sat upon. And as to the landlady that claimed NOT to know something was wrong, when a person Is sitting in feces and urine and isn't washed - believe me you'll know it from the smell. All three of the individuals involved should be put in jail and charged with manslaughter or at least depraved indifference.
Bad Food!
posted by Jac on 31 Mar 2011 at 12:08 pmSAD... for him and all those people who do not have the will power to change and help themselves with their diets and health (meaning some form of real exercising).
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