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Gastric bypass surgery has been found to have positive long-term benefits for obese patients, especially if they lose weight before the surgery.

Dr Amy J Wagner of the Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle led a team studying the effects of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery on obese patients.

The report concluded: "Surgical treatment of morbid obesity has a profound effect on patients’ quality of life as evidenced by the sustained long-term weight loss, reversal of comorbidities, improved rating of quality of life and the patients’ ability to return to the workforce."

In a separate study led by Christopher D Still at the Geisinger Health System in Pennsylvania, researchers found that high risk obese patients who lose five to ten per cent of their body weight before gastric bypass surgery usually stays in hospital less time and lose weight more quickly after the operation.

According to Department of Health statistics, 21.2 per cent of men and 21.5 per cent of women in England were classified as obese in 2005. This figure looks likely to increase to 33 per cent of men and 28 per cent of women by 2010.

Obesity is associated with other diseases such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, degenerative arthritis, sleep apnea, left ventricular hypertrophy and depression.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 17th, 2007 at 3:06 pm and is filed under Medical Developments and treatments, Obesity.