Obesity is becoming an ever greater problem in Europe, too, because in Europe, one in five citizens is already severely overweight. The risks of complications such as stroke, heart attack, high blood pressure and diabetes are correspondingly high. Just five percent of all men and eight percent of all women have Grade II obesity and are thus suffering from massive obesity. In recent decades, however, bariatric surgery has made a name for itself here. What exactly is meant by that, you can learn below.
The body mass index
The body mass index, or better known as BMI for many, refers to the body weight in kg, which is divided by the height squared in meters. For a person weighing 60 kg and a height of 1.70 meters, the BMI is 20.8 and thus in the normal range. Bariatric surgery is aimed at those people who have a massive BMI and are unlikely to be able to lower it alone. An overview:
– Normal weight – BMI 18-24,9
– Overweight – BMI 25-29.9
– Grade I obesity – BMI 30-34.5
– Obesity Grade II – BMI 35-39.9
– Obesity Grade III – BMI 40-49.9
– Obesity grade IV – BMI greater than 50
Bariatric surgery has proven itself in obesity
Many people affected by obesity do not manage to become masters of their overweight and to find their way back to normal weight on their own. Sooner or later it comes to complications such as diabetes mellitus. Bariatric surgery therefore relies on surgical procedures such as a stomach or gastric bypass. In contrast to normal-weight people, there is a strong overweight, an increased surgical risk and yet, the bariatric surgery has already been proven.
Purpose – to reduce the volume of the stomach
In bariatric surgery, the volume of the stomachs is reduced according to the selected method. Patients can absorb significantly less food and experience an early feeling of fullness. Often the stomach after such surgery only has the capacity for a small glass of water. Since insufficient nutrients can no longer be absorbed due to limited food intake, operators must be given extra tablets throughout their lives, such as take vitamin supplements. Because of the massive reduction in gastric volume, patients lose weight massively over a relatively short period of time, which has positive effects in all areas of health. For example, the blood pressure drops the risk of strokes and heart attacks decreases and the sugar metabolism returns to normal levels.
Bariatric surgery and process
A bariatric surgery is always minimally invasive. If the patient gets a sleeve gastrectomy, then the surgeon removes a large part of the stomach completely and irrevocably. The remaining residual stomach usually comes only to a volume of about 200 millilitres, but remain the normal digestive functions available.
