Is obesity an endocrine condition?

Obesity is an extremely common condition, affecting one-third of the adult population of Australia. In the great majority of cases, the problem is due to calorie imbalance resulting from an excessive food intake coupled with inadequate exercise. Endocrine causes of obesity are relatively uncommon, but should be excluded in every case. This article compares the clinical features of primary obesity and endocrine obesity, and outlines the investigations which may be used to exclude endocrine causes for obesity.