Genetic Test Unlocks New Treatment for Obesity Patient

Christy Krauss spent her entire life struggling with weight, trying every recommendation and even undergoing bariatric surgery in 2015. Despite losing 80 pounds initially, she regained weight no matter how carefully she followed her treatment plan.

The Spokane Valley woman wasn't lacking willpower or discipline. Her body was fighting against genetic mutations that disrupted how her brain controlled hunger and weight regulation.

When genetic testing became available, Megan Vulcan, a nurse practitioner at MultiCare Rockwood Weight Loss & Bariatric Surgery Center, recognized Krauss as an ideal candidate. She had several indicators including weight gain starting in childhood and persistent hunger cues that suggested a genetic cause.

The test revealed Krauss carried mutations in genes linked to rare forms of obesity. Armed with this information, her medical team prescribed Imcivree, an FDA-approved daily injection that targets the specific brain pathway affected by these genetic conditions.

The medication works by activating receptors in the brain that control hunger and metabolism. When these pathways malfunction due to genetic mutations, people experience extreme hunger and gain weight more easily regardless of diet and exercise efforts.

After two years on Imcivree, Krauss has lost 105 pounds and gained energy she hadn't felt in years. The daily injection doesn't bother her since she previously managed diabetes with four insulin shots daily before surgery resolved that condition.

Why This Inspires

For countless people battling obesity, Krauss's story offers validation that sometimes weight struggles aren't about willpower. Objective genetic testing is providing answers for patients who spent years believing they were failing when their bodies were simply working against them biologically.

The medication is approved for patients as young as two years old, offering hope for children with genetic obesity who previously had no treatment options. Vulcan notes that combining lifestyle changes, medication, and surgery when appropriate is becoming the standard approach to treating obesity as the chronic disease it is.

Krauss feels profound gratitude toward Vulcan for recognizing that genetic testing might hold the answers she'd been seeking for decades. "The best thing you realize is it's not you," Krauss says. "There's a reason for it. Once they correct that reason, it's amazing what your body can do."

Medical advances are finally catching up to help people whose obesity has genetic roots find treatments that actually work.