Obese people deserve surgical treatment, too | Richard Welbourn

Britain has the most obese people in western Europe, yet fewer of them get gastric operations than in other countries. We need to stop judging and start treating them

• Richard Welbourn is a bariatric surgeon

One in four people in the UK suffer with obesity. Severe and complex obesity is a lifelong condition associated with many major medical problems, the costs of which threaten to bankrupt the NHS. The major ailment caused by obesity – type 2 diabetes – is linked to shorter life expectancy, decreased quality of life and increased socio-economic and psychosocial problems. A new report out this week suggests the global cost of treating obesity will rise to $1.2tn a year from 2025.

Yet in the UK, less than 1% of those who can benefit from it receive bariatric (sometimes called weight-loss) surgery, such as gastric bypass or gastric banding. So why is a safe, cost-effective therapy for a deadly disease so under-utilised?

Related: Why does obesity cause diabetes? You asked Google – here’s the answer | Thomas Barber

Related: Cookery courses for obese people are pointless, and ministers know it | Hugh Muir

Continue reading... October 11, 2017 at 09:23PM