Bariatric Weight Loss Surgery - Adults
& Children
Doctors are alarmed at how fast America's
children are getting fat and obese. The number of overweight adolescents
has tripled since the 1980s. Today, 15 percent of adolescents are overweight.
|
|
This contributes to a number of health
problems, including diabetes, sleep apnea, orthopedic deformities
as well as social problems.
A bariatric surgery operation costs
about $25,000. Some insurance companies don't cover it because they
consider it a cosmetic procedure; plus, the Food and Drug Administration
has not approved the surgery for minors, making it even harder to
get reimbursed.
Still, more and more people are turning
to bariatric surgery.
|
In 1992, there were 16,200 bariatric surgeries,
according to the American Society for Bariatric Surgery. Last year, there
were 63,100 operations and the count is expected to reach 100,000 this
year. The figures only include operations performed by the society's members
and it's unclear how many of the surgeries were done on minors.
Weight Loss Surgery - Reminder
Gastrointestinal weight loss surgery is not an easy weight loss option.
It's a serious surgical procedure whose long-term weight loss success
depends on a patient's commitment to diet and behavior modification for
life, along with exercise for weight control.
Return to Facts
About Surgery for Weight Loss
|
|
|
com