Morbid Obesity
Obesity increases the risk of developing several serious medical conditions including:
- Type 2 diabetes
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- Respiratory (breathing) problems including sleep apnoea
- Arthritis
- Heart disease and stroke
- Depression
- Heartburn
- High cholesterol
- Infertility
- Cancer
These obesity-related diseases lead to over 30,000 deaths a year in England alone and the risk of developing these illnesses can be reduced by losing weight. Those most at risk of developing obesity-related illnesses are termed morbidly obese. Morbid obesity is defined as:
- a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 40 or above OR
- a BMI of 35 or above associated with one or more obesity related diseases
If you are already suffering from an obesity-related illness, losing weight may reduce the severity of the condition, reduce the amount of medication you require to control it and in some cases can cure the disease completely.
Currently, surgery is the only way to achieve significant, sustained weight loss for people who are morbidly obese.
In the UK, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) has recommended that surgery to aid weight loss should be available as a treatment option for people with morbid obesity provided that they meet all of the following criteria:
- they are aged 18 years or over
- they have been receiving treatment in a specialist clinic at a hospital
- they have tried all other appropriate non-surgical treatments to lose weight but have not been able to lose weight nor maintain weight loss
- there are no specific medical or psychological reasons why they should not have this type of surgery
- they are generally fit enough to have an anaesthetic and surgery
- they should understand that they will need to be followed-up by a doctor and other healthcare professionals such as dieticians or psychologists over the long-term.