Bariatrics is a discipline that deals with the causes, prevention, and treatment of obesity,
Terminology
The term
bariatrics was coined around 1965,
[Dictionary.com, based on Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Random House (2006): [1] Retrieved 15 April 2006] from the
Greek language root
bar- ("weight" as in
barometer),
Affix -
iatr ("treatment," as in
pediatrics), and
Affix -
ic ("pertaining to"). The field encompasses
dieting,
exercise and behavioral therapy approaches to
weight loss, as well as
pharmacotherapy and surgery. The term is also used in the medical field as somewhat of a euphemism to refer to people of larger sizes without regard to their participation in any treatment specific to weight loss, such as medical supply catalogs featuring larger hospital gowns and hospital beds referred to as "bariatric".
Bariatric patients
Being
overweight or
obesity are both rising medical problems.
There are many detrimental health effects of obesity:
[ WHO factsheet on obesity ] Individuals with a BMI (Body Mass Index) exceeding a healthy range have a much greater risk of medical issues.
These include
heart disease, diabetes mellitus, many types of
cancer,
asthma, obstructive sleep apnea, and chronic musculoskeletal problems. There is also a focus on the correlation between obesity and
death.
Overweight and obese people, including children, may find it difficult to lose weight on their own.[Hensel J, Selvadurai M, Anvari M, et al. Mental illness and psychotropic medication use among people assessed for bariatric surgery in Ontario, Canada. Obes Surg.2016;26:1531–1536.][Ward H.B., Yudkoff B.L., Fromson J.A. Lurasidone malabsorption following bariatric surgery: A case report. J. Psychiatr. Pract.. 2019;25(4):313-317. doi:10.1097/PRA.0000000000000402]
Methods of treatment
Although
dieting,
exercise,
behavior therapy and anti-obesity drugs are first-line treatment,
[ Clinical Guidelines on the Identification, Evaluation, and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults, The Evidence Report. NIH Publication NO. 98-4083, September 1998. NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in cooperation with The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney diseases. ] medical therapy for severe obesity has limited short-term success and very poor long-term success.
Weight loss surgery generally results in greater weight loss than conventional treatment, and leads to improvements in quality of life and obesity related diseases such as
hypertension and diabetes mellitus.
A meta-analysis of 174772 participants published in
The Lancet in 2021 found that bariatric surgery was associated with 59% and 30% reduction in all-cause mortality among obese adults with or without type 2 diabetes respectively.
This meta-analysis also found that median life-expectancy was 9.3 years longer for obese adults with diabetes who received bariatric surgery as compared to routine (non-surgical) care, whereas the life expectancy gain was 5.1 years longer for obese adults without diabetes.
The combination of approaches used may be tailored to each patient.
Techniques used in bariatrics include bioelectrical impedance analysis, a method to measure body fat percentage.
See also
Related conditions
-
Obesity, childhood obesity
-
Classification of obesity, classification of childhood obesity
-
Epidemiology of obesity, epidemiology of childhood obesity
-
Obesity and walking
-
Social stigma of obesity
Physiology
-
Body fat percentage
-
Relative Fat Mass (RFM)
-
Steatosis (also called fatty change, fatty degeneration, or adipose degeneration)
-
Subcutaneous fat
External links
