Older age increases risk of obesity surgery
November 22, 2006
People 65 years of age or older may think
twice about having weight loss surgery, according
to a surgeon who performs this operation and has studied the
outcome.
Among the 1 percent of patients in the study
who were 65 or older, 20 percent spent a week or longer in
the hospital after surgery, indicating that they experienced
adverse events, while 3.2 percent died in the hospital. The
researchers also found a greater risk of complications among
men, people with electrolyte imbalances, and those with diabetes.
Complications of bariatric surgery also were
high among people on Medicaid who were younger than 65, who
are generally disabled and likely to be poor. Further analysis
found the increased risk was mainly due their greater risk
of having complications related to their obesity such as high
blood pressure or diabetes.
While the study confirms the risks of obesity
surgery in older patients and those in worse health, Dr. Clifford
W. Deveney of Oregon Health & Science University in Portland
notes, "it is not certain when the risks outweigh the
potential gains."
"We need to look at benefits in the vast majority of patients who survive their bariatric procedure to determine what an appropriate risk is for a given patient. These data will only come from prospective studies designed to assess long-term outcomes following bariatric procedures."
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