Is Weight Loss Surgery Dangerous?
The number of people undergoing weight loss surgery has increased over the last several years. And while there are certainly beneficial results, there are also important risks to consider.
According to the Mayo Clinic, bariatric surgeries like gastric bypass surgery can come with uncertainties. For example, the surgical procedure could involve excessive bleeding, infection, blood clots, breathing problems, leaks in the gastrointestinal system, adverse reactions to anesthesia and even death on rare occasions.
Even after the procedure, there are still some things to take into account. Bariatric surgery can have long-term effects or complications like bowel obstruction, hernias, low blood sugar, malnutrition, dumping syndrome, gallstones, ulcers, vomiting, stomach perforation and also, rarely, death.
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A study published in the Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases journal also stated that there was a correlation between bariatric surgery and alcohol abuse. The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences. More than 2,000 men and women who had bariatric surgery participated in the case. Patients either went through gastric bypass surgery or laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding.
Researchers found out that one in five patients who underwent bariatric surgery displayed signs of alcohol abuse within five years of the procedure. It was concluded that patients who had gastric bypass surgery were almost twice as much in danger of alcohol abuse than those who had laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding.
"We knew there was an increase in the number of people experiencing problems with alcohol within the first two years of surgery, but we didn't expect the number of affected patients to continue to grow throughout seven years of follow-up," lead author Wendy C. King, Ph.D., said.
According to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, the number of people who went through bariatic surgery increased from 158,000 in 2011 to 196,000 in 2015.
It is certainly important to know the risks of undergoing such a major surgery, not just during the process, but also post-procedure.
