Morbid obesity
Although it may seem like a simple excessive accumulation of fat, it brings alterations in every area of a person's life: psychological, social and, above all, personal health.
It has been shown that obesity increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnoea and all the elements of what is known as “metabolic syndrome”. This metabolic syndrome is responsible for patients with obesity having a higher risk of suffering cardiovascular events (heart attack, stroke, etc.), for these being more severe, and for them having a shorter life expectancy than people without excess weight.
Bariatric surgery is the most effective known treatment for morbid obesity. Surgery not only achieves significant weight loss that is maintained over time, but also brings many additional benefits.
- First of all, one of the most immediate benefits is the improvement in the quality of life of the operated patients, improving the psychological and social aspects of people with excess weight.
- Bariatric surgery has been shown to reverse type 2 diabetes in between 40 and 70% of patients and high blood pressure in 60% of cases, and the vast majority of patients on CPAP can stop using it.
- It reduces the risk of developing certain cancers, such as breast or endometrial cancer in women. Patients who undergo bariatric surgery have better survival than obese people who do not have surgery, and a lower risk of heart attacks or strokes.
- There are other lesser-known beneficial effects of surgery such as: migraine, depression, asthma, fatty liver, urinary incontinence, arthrosis of the limbs or varicose veins, among others.