Obesity surgeries for patients between the ages of 55 and 64 in the United States soared from 772 procedures in 1998 to 15,086 surgeries in 2004.

It's a nearly 2,000 percent increase, according to a new report by HHS’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

The report, the latest of several studies that AHRQ has done on obesity surgery, also found a 726 percent increase in surgeries among patients age 18 to 54. There were a total of 121,055 surgeries performed on patients of all ages in 2004.

 

Among the reasons for the extremely dramatic increases is that the mortality outcomes from obesity surgery have improved greatly. The national death rate for patients hospitalized for bariatric surgery declined 78 percent, from 0.9 percent in 1998 to 0.2 percent in 2004.

Certain procedures, known collectively as bariatric surgery, have been proven beneficial in obese persons who have tried and failed to lose excess weight by diet, exercise, and other means.

The surgical procedures include gastric bypass operations, vertical-banded gastroplasty, and gastric banding or “lapband.”

Doctors may recommend bariatric surgery for patients who have a Body Mass Index of 40 or greater - a person who is 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighs 276 pounds, for example - or a BMI of 35 or more for patients who have serious, obesity-related medical conditions such as type 2 diabetes or severe sleep apnea.

“This report shows that more Americans are turning to obesity surgery and that an increasing number of younger people are undergoing these procedures,” said AHRQ Director Carolyn M. Clancy, M.D.

“As the rate of obesity continues to climb, the health care system needs to be prepared for continued escalation in the rate of this surgery and its potential complications.” 

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