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Bariatric surgery a game changer for metabolic disease management: Pune doctors
The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) and International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (IFSO) reduced the BMI for obese individuals who want to undergo surgery
On the occasion of World Anti-Obesity Day which is observed on November 26, city-based doctors recommend patients to undergo metabolic and bariatric surgery after the The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) and International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (IFSO) reduced the BMI for obese individuals who want to undergo surgery.
These recommendations were published in the international journal ‘Surgery for Obesity and related disease’ on October 21 this year. The changes made in the BMI were revised after 30 years. Those with BMI above 30 can undergo this surgery.
Some of the complications of obesity include high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, joint problems, gallbladder stones, heart issues, and sleep apnea. Few cancers like endometrium, breast and cancer are also associated with obesity.
International expert on Metabolic sciences , Dr Jayashree Todkar said,“Bariatric and metabolic surgeries have proven themselves to treat the metabolic diseases associated with high adiposity and proven as the boon to the Asian and global population as the best modality to control, prevent or reverse the metabolic diseases. Timely intervention with bariatric-metabolic surgery in chosen individuals will surely be a game changer for metabolic disease management. Because of the strong impact of these operations on the reversal of type two diabetes, they are recommended for individuals of BMI above 30 with type two diabetes, not easily controllable by oral anti-diabetic medicines and with central obesity.”
Sharing more details, Dr Reshu Agrawal, consultant - Internal Medicine, Manipal Hospital, Baner-Pune said that as per the previous guidelines issued by the IFSO, bariatric surgery was confined to patients with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or 35 or more with obesity-related conditions like blood pressure and heart issues.
“The Indian population has a genetic tendency towards abdominal obesity. They suffer more from increased body fat and are more prone to develop diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol, and heart issues even at a younger age and with a relatively low BMI,” said Dr Agarwal.
He added that with these newer guidelines, there will be a lot more people who will be eligible for Bariatric surgery.
“Also, bariatric surgery is helpful in the control of blood sugar in obese diabetics and we know that diabetes is increasing at an alarming rate in our country so this guideline will benefit them as well,” he said.
Dr Kedar Patil, bariatric surgeon, Apollo Spectra, Pune said, “This decision will be a boon for Indians as they will now be able to get rid of that excess weight by opting for bariatric surgery. Obesity leads to a variety of health issues like cardiovascular diseases, heart attacks, high blood pressure, diabetes, PCOD. Bariatric surgery will surely help to improve the quality of life of overweight and obese patients when exercise and diet fail to help them to battle the bulge.”
Dr Todkar said that there are no side effects to the surgery. “The surgery does near to complete metabolic recomposition of the patient. But the challenge is to understand who requires what kind of bariatric surgery. This may vary from patient to patient,” said Dr Todkar.
A 55-year-old male from Auragabad who weighed 137 kg and BMI 47.2 Kg/m2 was unable to walk and had shortness of breath.He underwent the surgery on May 17 and was discharged on May 20, 2022. After only 8 days, the patient came for follow up and reported his weight to be 121 kgs. “In November, the patient was revisited for a follow-up and is doing well with a weight of 89 kgs. Other problems like breathlessness and snoring has completely stopped reported doctors,” said Dr Todkar.
