UK needs to perform thousands more obesity operations, say surgeons

[Northerner]

Thousands more stomach-shrinking operations need to be carried out in the UK, say surgeons, who warn the country is lagging behind the rest of Europe despite the toll being taken on people’s health and warnings that the obesity crisis could bankrupt the NHS.

Reducing stomach size prevents people eating more than small amounts at a time, leading to dramatic weight loss. It can also reverse type 2 diabetes, which carries the risk of amputations, blindness, heart attacks and strokes.

France, with a population similar to that of Britain, carries out 37,000 obesity operations a year, compared with just 5,000 in the UK. Two countries with far smaller populations – Belgium and Sweden – perform 12,000 and 7,000 respectively, while Italy does 8,000.

https://www.theguardian.com/society...housands-more-obesity-operations-say-surgeons

 

[Hazel]

Bariatric surgery is OK - but unless the reason for obesity is tackled, surgery will not be effective , as the stomach will grow again if over eating continues.

 

[Northerner]

Bariatric surgery is OK - but unless the reason for obesity is tackled, surgery will not be effective , as the stomach will grow again if over eating continues.

Indeed, @Hazel. So the resources are needed to ensure the person is ready for surgery and that all other possible options have been fully explored. Unfortunately, I suspect there aren't enough resources to support the person either before or after surgery

 

[mikeyB]

Aye, Hazel is right. The two simpler techniques, gastric band and gastric sleeve can eventually be overcome by determined eaters (not all of whom have diabetes). The much more expensive and technically tricky gastric bypass is less easy to conquer, but I doubt that this is the surgery done in all those continental cases. The comparison is possibly not like for like.

 

[grovesy]

I read something recently where in the US there has been an increase in removal of gastric band removal ops.

 

[Matt Cycle]

It's a f****d up world we live in with people in some countries starving and then this news is announced. 🙄