Bariatric Surgery: Advantages and Disadvantages
Bariatrics literally means the treatment of weight, that is, the treatment of problems caused by weight. It so happened that this term began to be called the treatment of excess weight, and not just, namely, surgery, the purpose of which is to reduce weight.
The problem of overweight becomes more and more urgent as society develops, and therefore effective methods of solving it are attracting ever-growing interest. Today, bariatric surgery is the most effective treatment for morbid obesity, that is, severe obesity when the BMI (body mass index, or weight-for-height index) is 40 or higher.
What is bariatric surgery
Weight loss surgery has two goals: firstly, to reduce the amount of food that can be eaten at one time, by reducing the volume of the stomach, and secondly, to reduce the absorption of nutrients in the small intestine.
Today, there are several methods of bariatric surgery that allow you to achieve weight loss with varying degrees of effectiveness:
- Gastric bypass surgery;
- Adjustable gastric band;
- Sleeve gastrectomy;
- Biliopancreatic shunting.
Each of them has its own indications and contraindications, and therefore the question of which particular technique will be used is decided by the doctor after the patient undergoes a medical examination.
One of the most popular is the operation of adjustable gastric banding, so let's get to know bariatric surgery a little closer with its example. The essence of the intervention is that a silicone ring is put on the stomach, which divides the stomach into two unequal parts, the so-called small and large stomach. A small stomach has a volume of 50 to 200 ml, due to which it fills up quickly, and a person feels a feeling of fullness, eating a small amount of food. The opening through which food flows from the small stomach to the large stomach can be regulated, thereby regulating the process of weight loss. The advantages of this method include the preservation of the physiological path of the incoming food and the absorption of nutrients, the ability to adjust the amount of food eaten, the reversibility of the operation - nothing is cut off or redrawn,if necessary, just remove the bandage.
Adjustable gastric banding allows you to lose up to 60% of weight within a year or two.
Indications for bariatric surgery
The main indication for bariatric surgery is a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or more. In the presence of health complications caused by overweight, for example, type 2 diabetes mellitus, arthritis resulting from increased stress on the joints, etc., the operation can be performed at lower rates, but not less than 35.
At the same time, doctors insist that the surgical method of weight loss is an extreme measure taken when conservative methods of treating obesity, with the help of diets, physical activity and drug correction, have failed. In some Western clinics, when a patient applies for a bariatric operation, they require evidence that the patient has tried to lose weight for a long time and used various methods for this.
Benefits of Obesity Surgery
The advantage of surgical treatment for severe obesity is one, the most important: guaranteed and irreversible weight loss. This method helps those who are unable to control their eating behavior themselves, who have come to despair from fruitless attempts to lose weight, who are contraindicated in physical activity.
Irreversibility is the most important quality of this method. The weight will go away and will never come back. Any veteran fat man who has experienced dozens of dietary ups and downs will tell you that this confidence is worth a lot.
And of course, the advantage of the method is that the weight is removed without the patient's efforts. Neither painful restrictions nor grueling training are needed, there is no constant risk of breakdown, which turns former merry fellows into neurotics who avoid friendly feasts. A person can eat almost anything, although minor restrictions still exist.
Health is getting better. Problems with the musculoskeletal system disappear without a trace, metabolic disorders disappear. A person becomes mobile, light, re-discovers the joy of movement, an active lifestyle, inferiority complexes associated with excess weight pass. Life is definitely changing for the better.
Is there a risk?
I must say that bariatric surgery has already come a rather long way of development, and some of the operations that were used earlier were rejected, as they contributed to the development of serious complications, and those that remained were modified in order to increase their safety and effectiveness. Therefore, at the moment such operations are generally considered safe. In this case, you need to understand what is meant by security. There is not a single operation in which there would be no health risks at all, but there is such a concept as expediency - if the benefits of the operation exceed the possible complications, then the risk is considered justified.
World statistics today are as follows: as a result of an operation for weight loss, one patient in 400 dies.
Bariatric surgeries are not simply performed at the request of the patient, they are not performed in the blades of plastic surgery. This is not a method of correcting appearance, and although the appearance is changing, the main task is to treat a serious disease - a severe form of obesity.
Disadvantages of Bariatric Surgery
Like any method, this one also has not only advantages, but also disadvantages. One of the significant drawbacks is the need for subsequent plastic surgery to eliminate sagging skin. Significant weight loss over a short period of time will inevitably lead to profuse stretch marks and sagging, very noticeable. The most affected are the abdomen, inner thighs, and upper inner arms.
Another serious disadvantage is an insufficient amount of vitamins and minerals entering the body, which can result in quite serious health problems, such as anemia. Such a condition requires medical correction, and it is possible that it will be lifelong, although doctors say that the body is gradually adapting to the changed conditions, and if the elementary rules of healthy eating are observed, the problem gradually disappears.
People who have undergone bariatric surgery need regular medical supervision in order to notice in time if something goes wrong.
Reviews of patients who have undergone bariatric surgery treatment are very positive, a person who regrets that he resorted to this method has not yet been found.
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