Much has been written about the  health consequences of severe obesity, that affect most of the organs in the body. Most of these problems can be greatly improved, or entirely resolved, with successful weight loss. Many people have observed this, at least for short periods, after a weight loss through lifestyle modifications. Unfortunately, with lifestyle modifications alone, such benefits usually do not last, because weight regain almost always occurs. We have shown that the weight loss achieved with Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass can average 80 percent of excess body weight, and can be maintained for years following surgery. We instruct patients in a very simple program, which is much easier to follow when one is not constantly deprived on a diet.

Medical conditions that may be greatly improved after Weight Loss Surgery:

• High blood pressure
  Most patients who have high blood pressure, and who are taking medications to control it, are able to stop all medications and have a normal blood pressure, usually within two to three months after surgery. When medications are still required, their dosage can be lowered, with reduction of the bothersome side effects.
• High cholesterol
  Most patients will develop normal cholesterol levels within six months after the operation.

• Diabetes
  Patients with Type II diabetics typically obtain excellent results after Gastric Bypass, usually within a few weeks after surgery: normal blood sugar levels, normal Hemoglobin A1C values, and freedom from all their medications, including insulin injections. Based upon numerous studies of diabetes and the control of its complications, it is likely that the problems associated with diabetes will slow in their progression when blood sugar is maintained at normal values.
  There is no medical treatment for diabetes that can achieve as complete and profound an effect as surgery – which has led some physicians to suggest that surgery may be the best treatment for diabetes in patients with obesity. Abnormal glucose tolerance, or “borderline diabetes,” is even more reliably reversed by gastric bypass. Since borderline diabetes typically develops into Type II diabetes, the operation can frequently prevent diabetes as well. Sleeve Gastrectomy patients typically see good improvement with remission of diabetes within 1 to 2 years of surgery.
• Heart disease
  Although we can’t say definitively that heart disease is reduced, the improvement in problems such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes certainly suggests that improvement in risk is very likely. In one recent study, the risk of death from cardiovascular disease was profoundly reduced in patients with diabetes who are particularly susceptible to this problem. It may be many years before further proof exists, since there is no easy and safe test for heart disease.
• Asthma
  Most patients with asthma find that they have fewer and less severe attacks, or sometimes none at all. When asthma is associated with gastro-esophageal reflux disease, it is particularly benefited by gastric bypass.
• Respiratory insufficiency
  Improvement of exercise tolerance and breathing ability usually occurs within the first few months after surgery. Often, patients who have barely been able to walk find that they are able to participate in family activities, and even sports.
• Sleep apnea syndrome
  Dramatic relief of sleep apnea occurs as our patients lose weight. Many report that within a year of surgery, their symptoms were completely gone, and they had even stopped snoring completely—and their partners agree. Many patients who require an accessory breathing apparatus to treat sleep apnea no longer need it after surgically induced weight loss. This should be confirmed by a repeat sleep study.
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease
  Relief of all symptoms of reflux usually occurs within a few days of Gastric Bypass surgery for nearly all patients. We are now beginning a study to determine if the changes in the esophageal lining membrane, called Barrett’s esophagus, may be reversed by the surgery as well—thereby reducing the risk of esophageal cancer. Sleeve Gastrectomy patients generally have major improvement in GERD, some patients may need to take heartburn medication long-term.
• Stress urinary incontinence
  This condition responds dramatically to weight loss and usually becomes completely controlled. A person who is still troubled by incontinence can choose to have specific corrective surgery later, with much greater chance of a successful outcome with a reduced body weight.
• Low back pain, degenerative disk disease, and degenerative joint disease
  Patients usually experience considerable relief of pain and disability from degenerative arthritis and disk disease and from pain in the weight-bearing joints. This tends to occur early, with the first 25 to 30 pounds lost, usually within a month after surgery. If there is nerve irritation or structural damage already present, it may not be reversed by weight loss, and some pain may persist.

If you want to know if you qualify for Weight Loss Surgery and learn about which medical conditions it can help you with, don’t hesitate to contact us and schedule a Free Bariatric Consultation. Put your health in good hands.

Resources

• Vance L. Albaugh, Yanlin He, Heike Münzberg, Christopher D. Morrison, Sangho Yu, Hans-Rudolf Berthoud, Regulation of body weight: Lessons learned from bariatric surgery, Molecular Metabolism, Volume 68, 2023,
  101517, ISSN 2212-8778,
• Fink, J., Seifert, G., Blüher, M., Fichtner-Feigl, S., & Marjanovic, G. (2022). Obesity Surgery. Deutsches Arzteblatt international, 119(5), 70–80. https://doi.org/10.3238/arztebl.m2021.0359
• Srinivasan M, Thangaraj S, Arzoun H, et al. (March 20, 2022) The Impact of Bariatric Surgery on Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Outcomes: A Systematic Review. Cureus 14(3): e23340. doi:10.7759/cureus.23340