Your weight
Body weight
Maintaining a healthy body weight will improve your general wellbeing and reduce your risk of a number of diseases including heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes and osteoporosis (weakening of the bones). A healthy body weight is particularly important when you have haemophilia because extra weight will put added pressure on your joints.
To find out whether a person is the right weight for their height, doctors calculate their Body Mass Index (BMI). The BMI is calculated by dividing a person's weight (kg) by height squared (m2). The number you end up with is your BMI and this will determine which weight category you are in.
Calculating BMI is not suitable if you are very athletic (i.e. extremely muscular) because it cannot distinguish between fat and muscle mass. BMI may also differ in some ethnic groups; for example, a BMI over 27.5 in an Asian person has been estimated by the World Health Organisation to carry the same health risk as a BMI of 30 in a white Caucasian person.
| The BMI categories are as follows: | |
| Less than 20 | Underweight |
| Over 20 -25 | Desirable or healthy range |
| Over 25 - 30 | Overweight |
| Over 30 - 35 | Obese (Class I) |
| Over 35 - 40 | Obese (Class II) |
| Over 40 | Morbidly or severely obese (Class III) |
Click here to calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI)
A strong relationship exists between BMI and the risk of the diseases mentioned above. People with a BMI of less than 25 have a low-average risk, and those with a BMI above 40 have a very severe disease risk.
If you are classified as overweight or obese, having a healthier diet and increasing the amount of exercise you do can help you to lose weight, which in turn will reduce your BMI. Information about maintaining a balanced diet and doing sport with haemophilia are available on this website.
If you are concerned about your BMI, you should consult your doctor
Interactive BMI Calculator
Use our interactive
BMI (body mass index) calculator
to work out your BMI.
