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Bariatric Surgery for Obesity in India- Things to know
New Delhi (India), May 18: Obesity is rising steeply in India and is becoming a major public health concern. According to the NFHS data of 2019, around one fourth of the population is obese while more than 5% of Indians are suffering from morbid or severe obesity. The prevalence of morbid obesity has increased by […]
New Delhi (India), May 18: Obesity is rising steeply in India and is becoming a major public health concern. According to the NFHS data of 2019, around one fourth of the population is obese while more than 5% of Indians are suffering from morbid or severe obesity. The prevalence of morbid obesity has increased by 10 times over the last four decades. Concurrent with the rise of obesity are the related health concerns like diabetes, hypertension, coronary artery disease, sleep apnea and certain types of cancers.
Morbid obesity has been defined as BMI (Body mass Index) of more than 35 kg/m2 and is associated with serious health risks. The current approach to treatment of morbid obesity encompasses a multidisciplinary approach including diet, lifestyle modification, exercise, behavioural and psychological therapy, pharmacotherapy and lastly bariatric surgery.
Although non-surgical methods do give some results, they are effective in achieving significant weight loss in only 5-10% of people, says Dr Anirudh Vij, Senior Bariatric Surgeon, Dr Sunderlal Memorial Hospital, New Delhi. Whereas, bariatric or weight loss surgery has produced significant excess weight loss in more than 90% of individuals which is maintained over the long term. This weight loss is accompanied by resolution of the comorbid conditions, improved quality of life and reduction in all-cause mortality with increased lifespan.
Bariatric surgery procedures are grouped into two types- restrictive and malabsorptive, elaborates Dr Vij. Restrictive procedures like gastric sleeve and gastric banding reduce the stomach capacity leading to decrease in consumption of food. This produces a long term caloric deficit which accompanied by metabolic and hormonal changes leads to burning of stored fat and long term weight loss. Malabsorptive procedures, like gastric bypass and bilio pancreatic diversion, on the other hand, reduce the absorption of food by altering the length of the intestines leading to caloric deficit and weight loss. Some procedures like the RYGB have a combined effect of restriction and malabsorption and are considered more effective for weight loss.
