The use of weight-loss surgery has risen tenfold in the UK in less than a decade, a BMJ paper shows.
Between April 2000 and March 2008 a total of 6,953 bariatric procedures were carried out. During this period operations had increased more than 10-fold from 238 in 2000 to 2,543 in 2007, the researchers found.
At 30 months and one year after surgery those who had gastric banding had lower post-surgery death rates and had to be readmitted to hospital less and for shorter times than patients who had gastric bypass operations.
The researchers said one reason for the rapid rise in surgery was increased demand from obese patients as they became more aware of surgery as a viable treatment...
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