1 In 4 Weight-Loss Surgery Patients Develop Complications

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1 In 4 Weight-Loss Surgery Patients Develop Complications

By Marta Waller, KTLA News,

July 24, 2006

Gastric surgery is becoming increasingly popular as a way to lose

weight, but a new U.S. government report says 40 percent of patients

develop complications within six months of undergoing surgery.

The report examined 25-hundred insurance claims for bariatric

surgery performed in 2001 and 2002. The complications included

vomiting, reflux and diarrhea, abdominal hernias, infections and

pneumonias.

However, Dr. Philip R. Schauer, president for the American Society

for Bariatric Surgery says the study was conducted more than five

years ago when many doctors and hospitals had just begun doing

bariatric surgery and there were no standards, so a significant

complication rate would be expected.

Obesity is also at epidemic rates in the United States, and carries

with it serious health complications including diabetes and heart

disease. For many obese patients, gastric surgery can be a

lifesaving measure, but patients must be properly informed of risks

and benefits, as well as the permanent lifestyle changes necessary

to make surgery successful.

for more information, click on the following link:

http://win.niddk.nih.gov