There are millions of individuals suffering from the chronic disease of morbid obesity. The disease impacts every system in the body and can lead to devastating medical problems, social isolation, emotional struggles and decrease your life expectancy.
People who undergo surgery for obesity do tend to lose substantial amounts of weight after surgery (50-200+ pounds), and they have a very good chance of maintaining that lower weight for life. You can read more about weight loss outcomes on a separate page, but the point for now is that people routinely recapture much of their lost health through weight loss.
Many medical problems improve as the medical stress caused by weight is reduced. A few of the most important medical improvements that are seen after bariatric surgery are:
- Diabetes – 85% resolved after Gastric Bypass
- GERD – 95% resolved after Gastric Bypass
- High Blood pressure – 60% resolved
- Cancer (all types together) – risk reduced by about 50%
Most people who suffer from obesity know that the weight is causing lots of problems with lifestyle and function. Here is a partial list of lifestyle factors that can reasonably be expected to improve as weight comes down:
- Improved breathing
- Ability to do normal personal hygiene
- Increased energy level
- Regularly get a good nightís sleep
- Greater confidence
- Improved job or career prospects
- Greater variety in choice of clothes
- Ability to cross legs
- Better ability to travel (mobility, airline seats)
Surgeons and the medical community have agreed that, for the vast majority of patients who meet these simple criteria, bariatric surgery is a medically appropriate intervention. For most people in this category, the risk of surgery is much less than continuing to live with the excess weight. The medical criteria to “qualify” for bariatric surgery are:
- Body Mass Index (BMI) > 40 (try the BMI calculator), OR
- BMI > 35, with at least one medical problem exacerbated by weight. Some examples of
medical conditions that are understood to be caused or exacerbated by weight include:
- Diabetes (Type 2, or insulin resistant)
- High Blood pressure (Hypertension)
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea
- GERD (Reflux Disease)
- High cholesterol, High lipids
- Degeneration of the knees or other weight-bearing joints
