Bariatric surgery effectively treat disorders related to morbid obesity

Bariatric surgery is associated with significant weight loss and improved diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypertension and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in people with morbid obesity, confirm the results of a study published in the "Journal of the American Medical Association."

The morbid obesity is defined as a body mass index (ratio of weight to the square of the height in kg/m2) greater than or equal to 40, said Henry Buchwald, a researcher at the University of Minnesota. It is associated with a high risk of diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, stroke and asthma.

Estimated that a 25 year old man suffering from morbid obesity have a reduced life expectancy by 22% compared to a man of the same age but normal weight, which corresponds to about 12 years of life lost.

A diet is ineffective in such patients. The experts, including Professor Jean Mouiel, hospital Archet in Nice, even claim that "morbid obesity is incurable by current medical treatment" and that if "the surgical solution is not a panacea, c is the best thing now. "

Henry Buchwald and colleagues reviewed 136 studies conducted between 1990 and 2003 from 22,094 patients (3/4 women) who underwent bariatric surgery to determine the effect of this therapeutic approach to loss weight, the risk of surgery and four problems related to obesity (diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea).

Bariatric surgery involves several techniques, which are the most common gastric bypass, gastric banding, gastroplasty and biliopancreatic diversion channels.

The average percentage of weight loss was 61.2% for all participants. The most effective technique seems to be the biliopancreatic diversion, with a percentage weight loss of up to 70.1%. The least effective is gastric banding, the percentage of weight loss achieved with only 47.5%, say the authors.

The mortality rate within 30 days after surgery was 0.1% for purely restrictive techniques (gastric banding and gastroplasty) was 0.5% for gastric bypass and 1.1% for biliopancreatic diversion or duodenal.

Diabetes was completely cured in 76.8% of patients and improved in 86% of them. Hyperlipidemia was improved in 70% of patients, hypertension resolved in 61.7% and improved in 78.5% of participants. The obstructive sleep apnea syndrome disappeared in 83.6% of patients.

The authors conclude that "even taking into account the pain and anxiety of surgery, dietary restrictions and disadvantages of possible complications which further surgery, bariatric surgery improves quality of life for the majority of patients."