Is Surgery Right for Me?
You may be a candidate for bariatric surgery if you're severely obese, and other weight loss treatments haven't worked for you and:
- You are over age 18
- You weigh 100 pounds or more over your ideal weight
- Your BMI (Body Mass Index) is greater than 35 with other health problems (co-morbidities) such as high blood pressure, diabetes or sleep apnea or, your BMI is greater than 40 without co-morbidities
Treating More than the Weight…Hypertension, Diabetes, Sleep Apnea
Weight loss surgery has long been identified as the most effective long-lasting treatment for morbid obesity and its many associated conditions. Recent studies also suggest it may be among the most effective treatment for metabolic diseases and conditions, including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and obstructive sleep apnea.
According to a landmark study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in 2004, bariatric surgery patients showed improvements in the following metabolic conditions:
- Type 2 diabetes remission in 77 percent and significant improvement in 86 percent of patients
- Hypertension eliminated in 62 percent and significant improvement in 79 percent of patients
- High cholesterol reduced in more than 70 percent of patients
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Sleep apnea was eliminated in 86 percent of patients
- Joint disease, asthma and infertility were also dramatically improved or resolved
- Surgery patients lost between 62 and 75 percent of excess weight
