Weight Loss Surgery Can Improve Overall Health In The Severely Obese
Bariatric Surgery Can “Prevent, Improve or Resolve” Obesity Related Conditions
Physicians at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi and Emirates International Specialist Hospital are highlighting the role weight loss surgery can play in restoring lost heart function in extremely obese patients in advance of World Obesity Day on Thursday, October 11. Being severely overweight can cause structural changes to the heart, reducing its function as the heart works harder to pump blood around the body, causing the muscle to grow larger. Unlike other muscles, as the heart grows larger, it performs less effectively.
While nutrition and exercise are important as the first option for everyone in maintaining a healthy weight, surgeons at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi and Emirates International Specialist Hospital are highlighting surgical options available to people suffering from severe or morbid obesity.
Research conducted by Cleveland Clinic in the United States indicates that the heart can recover its natural shape and function following weight loss due to bariatric surgery.
"Obesity and its complications continue to be a significant challenge in Abu Dhabi and across the world. It's important to highlight the positive benefits that reducing obesity can bring to overall health and quality of life. Losing weight through lifestyle changes or surgery in cases that may require it, is one of the best things a person can do to protect their heart, "said Dr. Matthew Kroh, Chair of the Digestive Disease Institute at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.
The Department of Health recently issued new guidelines to enable patients who require surgery to receive approval without undergoing the previous mandatory six months of lifestyle modifications and medication. The panel examining those guidelines concluded that eliminating the waiting time would benefit patients with serious complications, potentially saving their lives.
Patients who undergo bariatric surgery often have related conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, or sleep apnea that can make it difficult for them to lose weight without surgical help. Bariatric surgery encompasses a wide range of approaches to help control a patient's weight, ranging from temporary, minimally invasive approaches to permanent surgery to reduce the size of the stomach such as sleeve gastroplasty.
"Bariatric surgery can be an effective tool to help some obese patients. Surgery can result in significant weight loss and helps prevent, improve or resolve dozens of obesity-related conditions such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease. With specific patients, it is an effective new tool to reduce the burden of heart disease, "said Dr. Mohammed Al Hadad, Head of Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery at Emirates International Specialist Hospital .
Both are a part of Mubadala's network of healthcare providers, doctors at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi and Emirates International Specialist Hospital work closely to treat some of the region's most complex cases for bariatric and metabolic surgical procedures.
World Obesity Day is an annual day of awareness held on 11 October, to promote practical solutions to tackle obesity.