Increasingly safe and proven techniques are making obesity treatments more attractive to those who need to lose weight. Whilst the market for cosmetic surgery continues to grow at a steady rate, the rate of life saving weight loss surgery is growing even faster. The number of people undergoing obesity related surgical treatment on the NHS has gone up a staggering ten-times in the past five years compared to the previous five year period. Increased surgery is linked to higher rates of severe obesity – that is cases where patients have a indice di massa corporea superiore di 40 . These patients are at a high risk of weight related complications such as diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol, and are exposing themselves to a great number of other problems. It is in these patients in particular that the benefits of weight loss surgery can be seen.
Every year in the UK around 600,000 people undergo weight loss surgery; however it is thought that as many as one and a half million people could draw significant benefits from having a procedure performed. The essential requirements to warrant surgery are: • BMI> 40 kg / m² (or BMI> 35 kg / m² in the presence of associated comorbidities); • Aged between 18 and 60 years; • Patient obesity of 5 years or more; • Demonstrated failure of previous attempts to lose weight or maintain weight loss with nonsurgical techniques; • Full availability to a prolonged postoperative follow-up.
This is because as we know, any surgical procedure, although simple, involves risk. In this case, side effects such as the lack of assimilation of valuable substances for the body, such as calcium and vitamin D to prevent osteoporosis, may also occur in the long term. It is important to formulate and implement serious guidelines on surgery and to always follow the advice of the specialist, who can advise how best to prepare a patient for surgery and provide adequate follow-up.
Ultimately a comprehensive risk-benefit analysis must determine whether a patient will should undergo weight loss surgery.
