Obesity-related surgery and hospital admissions rise

The number of surgical procedures that are related to weight loss – the fitting of things like gastric bands – has increased by 12 percent in hospitals in England.

Information published today in a report by the UK’s NHS Information Centre revealed in 2010-2011 there were 8,087 weight loss procedures carried out in comparison to 7,214 in 2009-2010.

In the past 10 years there has been a 30-fold increase for such surgery, rising from 261 in 2000-2001, although recent figures do include the maintenance of existing gastric bands.

In addition to this the number of obesity-related hospital admissions has also increased in England; within the last decade they have risen from 1,054 in 2000-2001 to 11,574 in 2010-2011.

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Bucking this trend of increasing statistics was prescriptions for medication to aid weight loss.

After seven years on continuous growing, 2010 was the first in seven years that demand for such medication fell; to 1.1 million dispended items from 1.4 million the previous year.

However, the report does point out that this decrease could be the result of two or three weight loss medications being withdrawn from the healthcare sector.

“The report charts the growing impact of obesity on both people's health and NHS resources,” commented Tim Straughan, the Chief Executive of the NHS Information Centre.

“ It also examines changes in physical activity and diet.

“Those working in this field may want to examine closely the findings of the report, including the significant regional variations that appear to exist in both the admissions for obesity and those for weight-loss stomach surgery,” he said.

Click here to read the full report.

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