Side Effects of Bariatric Surgery

Understanding the Side Effects of Bariatric Surgery: What You Need to Know

Overview of Bariatric Surgery

Bariatric surgery is increasingly being accepted as a viable option for treating morbid obesity and its associated diseases such as diabetes mellitus and hypertension. Surgery provides long-term sustained weight loss as well as resolution of co-morbid conditions.

The benefits of bariatric surgery are numerous but there are also a few risks and side effects associated with various bariatric surgical procedures.

Common Bariatric Procedures in India

The most common bariatric surgical procedures performed in India are:

laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy,

laparoscopic roux-en-y gastric bypass, and

laparoscopic mini gastric bypass.

Immediate Side Effects of Bariatric Surgery

There are a few immediate side effects that can happen after bariatric surgery like bleeding, leak, intestinal obstruction, and venous thromboembolism. The side effects due to malnutrition or undernutrition are seen in the long term, particularly after laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery.

The incidence of bleeding is less than 4% in patients undergoing bariatric surgery. Most cases can be managed by blood transfusions alone. Some cases might require laparoscopy to stop the bleeding. A leak from the anastomosis site or sleeve staple line occurs in about 0.7% to 5% of the patients. If the leak is early, re-laparoscopy with identification of the leak and its closure is done with adequate drainage, bowel rest, and antibiotics.

Similarly leaks after a mini gastric bypass can be managed early by drainage and conversion of the procedure to Roux-en-Y gastric bypass along with a feeding tube in the intestines. The other rare immediate problem can be that of wound infection which is managed by dressing and antibiotics. Obesity is an independent risk factor for thromboembolism which is the clotting of blood in the veins of the body particularly the legs. This is best avoided by taking heparin injections for the first few days after the surgery and wearing graded pressure stockings for a few weeks. Early active mobilization is the best precautionary method.

Long-Term Side Effects and Nutritional Deficiencies

Lately, there can be obstruction of the intestines due to various factors which result in pain and distension of the abdomen along with vomiting. The possible causes usually are smoking, and the formation of ulcers. This can be identified by doing an endoscopy or a CT scan. Treatment of the possible causes can be done immediately.

After bariatric surgery, iron, vitamin B12, and other micronutrient deficiencies can occur. Iron deficiency occurs in patients within 2 to 5 years after surgery. Supplementation with iron can reduce iron deficiency significantly. Calcium and vitamin D absorption are impaired after gastric bypass as well. We obtain a complete blood count and iron, B12, calcium, folic acid, vitamin D, levels before surgery, 6 months and 1 year after surgery, and yearly thereafter. We recommend routine daily supplementation with a multivitamin, iron, vitamin B12, and calcium along with vitamin D supplementation depending on the serum levels.

Dumping Syndrome

Dumping syndrome is a common side effect after Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RNYGB) surgery. This usually occurs due to poor food choices. It is related to the ingestion of refined sugars (including high fructose corn syrup) or high glycemic carbohydrates. It can also occur with dairy products, some fats, and fried foods.

The fact is that these foods will interfere with long-term weight loss and should not be eaten anyway.

Symptoms start typically 20-30 min after the food. It includes sweating, flushing, lightheadedness, tachycardia, palpitations, desire to lie down, upper abdominal fullness, nausea, diarrhea, cramping, and active audible bowel sounds.

Conclusion

In summary, although bothersome and sometimes worrisome, dumping syndrome is not a life-threatening problem. Patients need to learn about and read basic nutrition labels. The benefit is that it teaches patients quickly that certain foods and additives cannot be tolerated. Patient compliance and commitment to long-term follow-up are mandatory.

In short, the side effects of bariatric surgery are rare. Timely
identification and intervention are the keys to preventing serious complications.

Still confused about bariatric surgery? Then schedule your consultation with the top bariatric surgeon in Delhi at Smart Cliniqs.

Bariatric Surgery Hospital in Delhi

Choosing the Best Bariatric Surgery Hospital in Delhi for Effective Weight Loss

Delhi is the popular destination for medical tourism. Patients from every corner of the world come to Delhi, India for bariatric surgery. Many hospitals in Delhi are currently performing the surgery. Bariatric surgery hospitals in Delhi are specialized centers with trained and expert surgeons and specialized paramedic staff. In Delhi, both private and government hospitals are performing bariatric surgery. To name a few, private hospitals like Indraprastha Apollo hospitals, Max Healthcare, BLK super specialty, Fortis, Medanta hospital are performing bariatric surgery in Delhi. Premier government hospitals like All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Ram Manohar Lohia (RML), Lok Nayak Hospital (LNJP) are also performing bariatric surgeries.

Roux-en-y- gastric bypass surgery is the “gold standard” procedure. It refers to a type of bariatric surgical procedure in which the stomach is divided into a small pouch and then the small intestine is rearranged and connected to the newly created pouch. Roux-en-y- gastric bypass surgery is used to promote weight loss and also improve weight related issues like type 2 diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, arthritis, sleep apnea, infertility, hypothyroid, joint pain, backache etc.

Obese patients have a compromised vitamin and mineral intake due to excess energy consumption. Drastic weight loss post roux-en-y-gastric bypass surgery compounds the already present vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Patients who undergo Roux-en-y-gastric bypass surgery should attend regular follow-up sessions with a registered dietician so that deficiencies could be identified and treated at an early stage.

Obesity in Children and Adolescents

Addressing Obesity in Children and Adolescents: Causes, Risks, and Effective Interventions

The prevalence of obesity is increasing in both children and adolescents, in both sexes and in various ethnic and racial groups.

Many factors, including genetics, environment, metabolism, lifestyle, and eating habits, are believed to play a role in the development of obesity. However, more than 90% of cases are idiopathic; less than 10% are associated with hormonal or genetic causes.

Defining Obesity in Childhood and Adolescence

There is no single definition of obesity in childhood and adolescence.

Consensus committees all over the world have concluded that children and adolescents be considered overweight or obese if the BMI exceeds the 85th or 95th percentiles, on curves generated from the 1963-1965 and 1966-1970 NHANES, or exceeds 30 kg/m² at any age.

Energy Intake and Sedentary Lifestyle

During childhood and adolescence, excess fat accumulates when total energy intake exceeds total energy expenditure. Reduced energy expenditure is attributed to modern-day sedentary lifestyles. This is particularly associated with excessive television viewing, excessive computer use, and insufficient physical activity. Also, this is often seen when feedings are supplemented with additives such as carbohydrates or fat.

Hormonal Dysfunction and Familial Obesity

Some hormonal dysfunction like that in ghrelin leptin hormonal axis may be the causative factor in as many as 10% of obese children, particularly in those who appear to manifest familial morbid obesity.

Race and ethnicity are also associated with increased rates of obesity in children and adolescents.

Childhood Obesity as a Predictor of Adult Obesity

Childhood obesity is predictive of adult obesity such as with 80% of teenagers who are obese continue to be obese as adults.

This is associated with an increased incidence of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, gallstones, and hypercholesterolemia.

Chest Conditions Associated with Childhood Obesity

There are serious chest conditions associated with childhood obesity like reactive airways, poor exercise tolerance, increased work of breathing, and increased oxygen consumption.

They might develop obesity-hypoventilation syndrome and experience right-sided heart failure with right ventricular hypertrophy.

Acute Complications of Childhood Obesity

Acute complications of childhood obesity include hyperlipidemia, accelerated growth and bone maturation, ovarian hyperandrogenism and gynecomastia, cholecystitis, pancreatitis, and pseudotumor cerebri.

There is an increased incidence of fatty liver and they might develop liver cirrhosis and kidney disease.
Obstructive Sleep apnea and sleep-disordered breathing are common in children and adolescents with obesity which might lead to neurocognitive dysfunction.
Excess weight in children can cause numerous orthopedic disorders, including genu valgum, slipped capital femoral epiphysis, with bowing of the long bones.
Emotional and psychosocial sequelae are also widespread in obese children.
Social isolation, peer problems, and lower self-esteem are frequently observed.
Gout and colorectal cancer rates are found to be increased among men who had obesity as adolescents as well as arthritis.

Therapeutic Interventions for Childhood Obesity

Any therapeutic intervention in the child with obesity in aimed to achieve control of weight gain and reduction in body mass index (BMI) safely and effectively and to prevent the long-term complications of obesity in childhood and adulthood.

These might also require psychiatric assistance for unusual eating disorders or severe depression. It involves a team involving nurse educators, nutritionists, exercise physiologists, and counsellors.

Parental Involvement and Lifestyle Changes

Parents must advice children to walk at least 20 to 30 min daily. Limit their television timings and must indulge in vigorous exercise with children. Low-calorie balanced diet, in association with patient and parent education, behavioral modification, and exercise can limit weight gain in many patients with mild or moderate obesity. Reductions in total and saturated fat may be particularly useful in adolescents who consume large quantities of high-fat, snack, and packaged fast foods, including french fries, pizza, chips, and crackers. Also, they might sometimes require and care if evidence of psychopathology or dysfunction is present.

Bariatric Surgery for Childhood Obesity

According to Dr. Atul NC Peters, one of the pioneers of weight loss treatment in Delhi and among the top 10 obesity surgeons in India, various bariatric surgical procedures have been performed in “carefully selected” patients with a body mass index (BMI) >40 kg/m ² who have severe comorbidities such as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. It is important to consider several other factors before deciding whether a child or adolescent should undergo bariatric surgery like previous attempts at weight loss, and ability to adhere to follow-up care. Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy is the most widely performed procedure in childhood obesity nowadays.

Evidence suggests that bariatric surgery can decrease the grade of steatosis, hepatic inflammation, and fibrosis in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. With more and more people opting for various bariatric surgical procedures, weight loss surgery cost in Delhi has been such that it is becoming affordable day by day and several finance and loan schemes are also available in special circumstances.

Bariatric Surgery in Delhi

The Rise of Bariatric Surgery in Delhi: A Comprehensive Solution for Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes

Increasing Prevalence of Obesity

There is a dramatic increase in prevalence of obesity. The traditional approaches like dietary and lifestyle modification, physical activity, and pharmacotherapy fail to facilitate weight loss and treat obesity. So, bariatric surgery is the most sustainable treatment option. Bariatric surgery also promises improvement in obesity-related comorbidities like type 2 diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, arthritis, etc. so, the term bariatric surgery is now replaced with bariatric and metabolic surgery. These days metabolic surgery for diabetes has emerged as a proven tool for the resolution or control of type 2 diabetes. This weight loss treatment in Delhi is being done only at specialized centers, by adequately trained and expert surgeons. Thus it gives a permanent cure to this traditionally regarded as a progressive, unrelenting disease called type 2 diabetes.

Bariatric Surgery in Delhi

In the last few years, there has been an increase in weight loss treatment in Delhi. Many centers are currently performing bariatric surgery. Patients from every corner of India prefer to come to Delhi for bariatric surgery owing to the availability of the best medical facilities, trained and experienced bariatric surgeons, and specialized paramedic staff. Even International patients prefer Delhi, India for bariatric surgery.
Sleeve gastrectomy and roux-en-Y gastric bypass are the most commonly performed weight loss procedures. Metabolic surgery for type 2 diabetes targets patients with uncontrolled diabetes who are currently on oral drugs and insulin. Scientific literature reports that bariatric and metabolic surgery results in weight loss, improvement/ normalization of blood sugar levels, reduction/ withdrawal of diabetes medications, and decrease in cardiovascular disease risk factors. It is a simple procedure and the patients may be able to leave the hospital in one day or even the same day in selected cases.

Comparing Surgical Procedures

In patients with reflux disease and type 2 diabetes, the results of sleeve gastrectomy may be inferior to the roux-en-Y gastric bypass but the excess weight loss of both the procedures may be comparable in a select subgroup of patients.

Nutritional Considerations Post-Surgery

Nutritional deficiencies are present in obese patients as consumption of a high-energy diet compromises on protein, vitamin, and mineral intake. As Sleeve gastrectomy and roux-en-Y gastric bypass involve removal or bypassing of some parts of the stomach and /or small intestine, so, macronutrient (protein) and micronutrient deficiencies (calcium, iron, B12, vitamin D, folate, etc.) are very likely to occur post-operatively in the patients. Nutritional assessment remains the key component pre-operatively and post-operatively to identify, prevent, and treat nutritional deficiencies at an early stage. Nutritional assessment involves taking physical measurements of the body (height, weight, etc.), analyzing blood and urine samples, identifying deficiency signs and symptoms, and performing a comprehensive dietary assessment.

Ensuring Surgical Success

Consuming a well-balanced energy-restricted diet with vitamin and mineral supplements and timely follow-up with the bariatric team promises success of the surgery.

Weight loss surgery in India

Why India is Emerging as a Top Destination for Weight Loss Surgery

Rising Obesity Rates in India

With the persisting need to address the problem of malnutrition, India has developed another nutritional problem, obesity. According to the National Family Health Survey 4, the number of obese people in the country has doubled in the last decade.

Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes

It is a known fact now that obesity is the major reason for developing Type 2 Diabetes. Several studies have revealed that obesity accounts for 80-85% risk of developing type 2 Diabetes. Moreover, most of the world’s population lives in countries where overweight and obesity kill more people than underweight.

Bariatric Surgery as an Effective Solution

Bariatric surgery is now more efficacious than lifestyle changes or medical treatment for sustained weight loss and remission of Type 2 Diabetes.

Cost-Effectiveness of Bariatric Surgery

The cost of weight loss surgery versus the cost of medicines and lifestyle changes has been debated extensively. Similarly, not only savings but also cost-effectiveness of weight loss surgery have also been discussed. Various studies have demonstrated cost-effectiveness and cost savings for bariatric procedures compared with usual medical care or intensive lifestyle interventions. All of these studies have been carried out in setups where weight loss surgery has been expensive as compared to the eastern world.

Delhi: A Hub for Medical Tourism

New Delhi, the capital city of India has now become a popular destination for medical tourism. Millions of foreign tourists visit India annually for their medical needs. There are many world-class and reputed hospitals in Delhi, which provide exemplary services in the field of medical care. The presence of highly qualified and experienced weight loss surgeons along with institutions of international repute have made Delhi a prime city for weight loss surgeries in India.

Reasons to Choose India for Bariatric & Metabolic Surgery

According to Dr. Atul NC Peters, Senior Consultant and Head of Apollo Institute of Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi, more and more patients are flying from the Western world for bariatric surgery in India. Not only for weight loss surgery, but people have also started travelling for metabolic surgery for Diabetes in India. Reasons for choosing India as a favorite destination for Bariatric & Metabolic Surgery are innumerate, a few of them being:

Bariatric Surgery cost in India is approx. half to one-third of the cost of the Western world.
There are no long waiting lists, as patients seeking weight loss surgery in Delhi are given almost immediate treatment.
International accredited hospitals and surgeons.
Dedicated bariatric surgical program which includes a team of expert surgeons, nurses, dieticians, and bariatric care specialists.
Fully equipped operation theaters with trained anesthetist.
Dedicated intensivist with exposure to more than a thousand operated bariatric surgical patients.
Safe and effective results.
Long-term follow-up schedules.
Options for single incision surgery.
Options of Robotic Surgery.

Hence India is now a preferred destination for weight loss surgery as well as metabolic surgery.

Diet after Intra Gastric Ballooning

Comprehensive Guide to Intra Gastric Ballooning: Post-Procedure Diet and Lifestyle Tips

Intra gastric Ballooning helps us lose anything between 10 to 15 Kgs over six months to 1 year. This procedure enables us to feel full early, thus better control cravings & appetite. We eat smaller meals, follow a healthy diet, and feel lighter, healthier, and better.

After this procedure, you need to re-learn how to drink and eat. Your diet will gradually progress, from liquids to pureed, then to soft, and finally, you resume your normal diet any time after four weeks, but each one advances at their own pace.

During the first post-operative week, the patient begins with clear fluids and gradually goes on to full liquids. For the first two days, be sure to take lukewarm fluids, not more than half a cup at a time. Sip small, sip slowly, do not use straw, and avoid carbonated beverages. Please ensure that you drink at least 10 cups of liquids throughout the day. To get enough calories and protein, drink more dairy products. Do add to your drinks one tablespoon of good fats like olive oil, canola, or avocado oil to provide essential fatty acids and prevent complications.

When on liquids, you can have beverages like coconut water, lemon water, green tea, iced tea, veg broth and soups, chicken broth & soup, skimmed milk, buttermilk, dal soups, regular tea & coffee, etc. Do not add sugar to your drinks.

Second week onwards you can introduce pureed food to your diet. This will include items that are well-cooked and blended or mashed in a puree. Khichdi, porridge, and fruit yoghurt are some good examples. You need to eat slowly in small bites, chew well & stop once you feel full.

From the third week on you may start with soft foods, once you are comfortable with a pureed diet.

Three to four weeks after the procedure you gradually return to normal eating. Chew well, eat slowly, and eat small at a time. At this time, start light exercise –like walking. Maintaining regular physical activity is a must to promote good circulation and to help achieve a healthy weight. However, strenuous exercises are better avoided for a minimum of 6 weeks, till you are on your normal solid diet.

Have more queries related to intra gastric balloon surgery? Consult Prof. (Dr.) Atul N.C Peters, the best bariatric surgeon in Delhi at Smart Cliniqs.

Obesity Discrimination and Gastric Bypass Surgery

Understanding Obesity Discrimination: Types, Impact, and Effective Solutions

Definition: Obesity Discrimination

Obesity discrimination can be defined in either of several ways, including:
1. The unjust treatment of an overweight or obese person based on bias, or misconception.
2. Ill-treatment of obese people purely because of their weight as compared to non-obese people.

There are mostly four types of discrimination prominently described: Employment, Health Care, Education, and Relationships

Employment Discrimination:

Several studies have shown that obese people find more difficulty in finding a job, are paid lower wages, are discriminated against in promotions, and have more likelihood of early termination.

Healthcare Discrimination:

It is unfortunate that even, doctors and healthcare workers are not immune from obesity discrimination. It is a place where caring, trust, and unbiased treatment should be guaranteed. The problem is, that most of the doctors do not have a sound knowledge of obesity or its treatment.

Physicians spend less time discussing health with obese patients. They are more biased towards technical issues rather than discussing nutrition to patient’s obesity.

Discrimination at Schools:

At schools, discrimination is a bigger concern. It causes emotional distress, as children who are obese are less likely to succeed. It appeared in various studies that young men had a much lower chance of attaining higher education than their normal-weight counterparts. Obesity was also associated with lower educational attainments than normal-weight students.

Discrimination in relationships:

When it comes to finding a romantic partner, obesity appears to play a big role, especially for women. When studied among people, it was found that boys were less interested in looking for obese women.

Effectively Addressing Obesity Discrimination: Tips For All 4 Types Of Discrimination

The ideal solution is obvious: weight loss treatment.

Finding the medically supervised weight loss treatment program composed of the right diet and exercise is the most appropriate first step.

Research has shown diet and exercise programs supervised by a medical professional to be much more effective than doing it alone.

If your body mass index is over 35 which means that you are morbidly obese and attempts at sufficient weight loss, even under a medically supervised program, have yielded no results, you may be a candidate for weight loss surgery or laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery.

It has been proved time and again that bariatric surgery results in sustained weight loss in morbidly obese people. In other words, Bariatric surgery may improve occupational outcomes in morbidly obese individuals by reducing levels of unemployment and absenteeism. The evidence regarding this is limited and studies are needed before any conclusions could be drawn on this aspect. Similarly, there could also be economic, social, and psychological benefits of bariatric surgery which might help in improving relationships among individuals after weight loss.

It is advisable to visit a well-experienced bariatric surgeon as they usually have more knowledge about caring for obese patients, and they also work with doctors who are empathetic toward the difficulties of being obese.
Similarly, the research suggests that an obese child, especially an obese girl, is more likely to succeed in schools where obesity is more common.
If you find that your weight is getting in the way of your romantic relationships, several options may help:

First and foremost: weight loss treatment
• Consider dating partners who are also overweight or obese
• Choose partners who are willing to get to know you as a person before judging you only by your appearance

Consider Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass Surgery if you are morbidly obese.
There are certain non-surgical options also available like endoscopic intra-gastric balloons which are available these days to lose weight for overweight people.

These methods are temporary but might result in good outcomes for people who are serious and motivated.

Home Care After Bariatric Surgery

Essential Care After Bariatric Surgery: Tips for a Smooth Recovery at Home

Now that you have been discharged from the hospital and have reached home, you might feel relieved but also apprehensive about home care after bariatric surgery. You might worry about whether stitches could break, experience pain at home, or have questions about how much to walk and whether or not to take a bath. These are some helpful points for your guidance.

Wound Care

Change the dressings every day, if your doctor tells you to do so. Be sure to change your dressing always whenever it gets dirty or wet.
You may have bruising around your wound or redness around the incisions, do not panic, this is normal.
Avoid wearing tight clothing to prevent rubbing against your incisions.
Stitches or staples are usually removed within 7 to 10 days after surgery. some stitches dissolve on their own. Your doctor will tell you if you have them.
You can have a shower when advised by your doctor, let the water run over your incision, and do not scrub over the incisions.

Personal hygiene

Take a shower daily.do not rub the wounds. let only water run on your incisions
You can oil massage and wash your hair daily to feel fresh and active
Change your clothes daily
Clean your skin folds well with soap and water once a day and keep them dry, especially during the rainy season

Activity

Walk as much as you can, move around, and use stairs at home
Do not lift things heavier than 5 to 7 kgs in the initial months
Increase your exercise slowly
Take short walks
Get up and move around if you have some pain in your belly, it may help
Do not join the gym until recommended by your doctor.

Follow-up

To help recover from surgery and changes in your lifestyle, see your surgeon regularly and other health care providers.
The dietitian will teach you to eat correctly with your small stomach.
The psychologist can help you deal with the feelings or concerns you may have after surgery.
Blood tests are important as recommended by your surgeon, get them done timely to prevent vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

When to Call the Doctor

Temperature is above 100°F.
You have redness, pain, swelling, or bleeding around your incision
You have pain that your pain medicine is not helping
You have breathing difficulty
You cannot eat or drink
You are vomiting after eating

These simple precautions will help you tide over the initial difficult time at home after your bariatric surgery. Bariatric surgery is the best way to lose weight and regain health.

The Gulf Obesity Crisis

Gulf Obesity Crises: The Global Health Challenge

Obesity is now the biggest healthcare challenge worldwide, approximately one in three is either obese or overweight. Gulf obesity has particularly surged, overtaking malnutrition and infectious diseases as the world’s no.1 health problem.

Obesity in the Middle East

The problem is even bigger in the Middle East. According to one study, 51 million people in the Gulf are classed as obese. An epidemic indeed. In the same study, Qatar is reported to have the highest incidence of obese men (44 percent) in the Middle East and North Africa region, followed by Kuwait (43 percent) and Bahrain (31 percent), while the prevalence of obesity among women exceeded 50 percent in three Middle Eastern countries; Kuwait (59 percent), Libya (57 percent) and Qatar (55 percent).

Economic Impact of Obesity

Not only does obesity carry serious consequences for people’s health, but it also carries a global cost of $2 trillion, consuming 2.8 percent of the global Gross Domestic Product and demanding approximately 15 percent from the healthcare budgets of developed countries, according to the authors of the McKinsey report.

Researchers have produced the startling forecast that if current obesity rates continue, almost half of the world’s adult population will be overweight or obese by 2030.

Rising Demand for Bariatric Surgery

The demand for bariatric surgery is increasing by 20 percent annually in Gulf countries, however in many cases it is out of necessity rather than choice. Bariatric surgery is proven to reduce the risk of serious health complications associated with obesity such as cardiovascular disease, sleep apnea, certain cancers, and perhaps most pressing for the region, type 2 diabetes. According to experts, we must not believe that obesity is not self-inflicted or a lifestyle choice, rather than a critical health issue.

Challenges and Criticism

It is these damaging perceptions that have led to widespread criticism of bariatric surgery, which can cost between $8,000 and $15,000, as many claim that the procedure is becoming a substitute for a lifestyle overhaul. It is from this viewpoint that a serious stigma has emerged.

Economic and Health Benefits

An increase in bariatric procedures could also realize financial savings for governments and healthcare systems alike, as patients who have undergone surgery, are more likely to avoid life-threatening and costly conditions such as heart disease and diabetes, which currently affects approximately one in ten adults in the Middle East and North Africa region.

Youth and Bariatric Surgery in the UAE

More young patients end up undergoing bariatric surgery in the UAE

Doctors advise weight-loss procedures if children have high BMI and other health issues

Obesity Statistics in the UAE

Abu Dhabi: With obesity cases rising in the UAE, more and more younger patients are being recommended for weight-loss surgeries, experts have said.

The surgeries are a last resort in the fight against obesity and its related complications. They are often a better choice than letting children’s health get progressively worse.

Global Obesity Trends

Statistics compiled by regulator Health Authority Abu Dhabi (Haad), indicate that nearly 30 percent of school-going children in Abu Dhabi are overweight or obese and the proportion rises to 40 percent among teenagers. Worldwide obesity has nearly doubled since 1980 and in 2011 more than 40 million children under the age of five were overweight (WHO).

Unless we take some drastic and wide-ranging measures, obesity will soon become the world’s biggest and most expensive health issue ever.

A food for thought, shall we say.