Bariatrics

Bariatrics is the branch of medicine that deals with the causes, prevention, and treatment of obesity.^[1] The term bariatrics was created around 1965,^[2] from the Greek root bar- ("weight," as in barometer), suffix -iatr ("treatment," as in pediatrics), and suffix -ic ("pertaining to"). The field encompasses dieting, exercise and behavioral therapy approaches to weight loss, as well as pharmacotherapy and surgery.

Overweight and obesity are rising medical problems of pandemic proportions.^[3][4] There are many detrimental health effects of obesity:^[5][6] Individuals with a BMI (Body Mass Index) exceeding a healthy range have a much greater risk of medical issues.^[7] These include heart disease, diabetes, many types of cancer, asthma, obstructive sleep apnea, and chronic musculoskeletal problems. There is also an effect of obesity on mortality.^[8]

People may find it difficult to lose weight on their own.^[9] It is common for dieters to have tried fad diets only to find that they gain weight, or return to their original weight, after ceasing the diet.^[10]

Although diet, exercise, behavior therapy and anti-obesity drugs are first-line treatment,^[11] medical therapy for severe obesity has limited short-term success and very poor long-term success.^[12] Weight loss surgery generally results in greater weight loss than conventional treatment, and leads to improvements in quality of life and obesity related diseases such as hypertension and diabetes.^[13] The combination of approaches used may be tailored to each patient.^[14]

References

1. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition, Houghton (2000): "Bariatrics" Retrieved 14 February 2006
2. ^ Dictionary.com, based on Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Random House (2006): [1] Retrieved 15 April 2006
3. ^ Reynolds K, He J. Epidemiology of the metabolic syndrome.Am J Med Sci 2005;330:273-9. PMID 16355011
4. ^ Hedley AA, Ogden CL, Johnson CL, et al. 2004. Prevalence of overweight and obesity among US children, adolescents, and adults, 1999–2002. JAMA ; 291: 2847–50. PMID 15199035
5. ^ WHO factsheet on obesity
6. ^ Bray, George A. (2004), "Medical Consequences of Obesity", Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 89 (6): 2583–2589, doi:10.1210/jc.2004-0535, PMID 15181027 
7. ^ Gregg, Edward W.; Cheng, Yiling J.; Cadwell, Betsy L.; Imperatore, Ciuseppina; Williams, Desmond E.; Flegal, Katherine M.; Narayan, K. M. Venkat; Williamson, David F. (2005), "Secular Trends in Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors According to Body Mass Index in U.S. Adults", Obstetrical & Gynecological Survey 60 (10): 660–661, doi:10.1097/01.ogx.0000180862.46088.0d 
8. ^ Flegal KM, Graubard BI, Williamson DF, Gail MH. Excess deaths associated with underweight, overweight, and obesity. JAMA 2005; 293: 1861-7.
9. ^ Bagozzi, Richard P.; Moore, David J.; Leone, Luigi (2004), "Self-Control and the Self-Regulation of Dieting Decisions: the Role of Prefactual Attitudes, Subjective Norms, and Resistance to Temptation", Basic and Applied Social Psychology 26 (2–3): 199–213, doi:10.1207/s15324834basp2602&3_7 
10. ^ Ikeda, J.; Hayes, D; Satter, E; Parham, ES; Kratina, K; Woolsey, M; Lowey, M; Tribole, E (1999), "A Commentary on the New Obesity Guidelines from NIH", Journal of the American Dietetic Association 99 (8): 918, doi:10.1016/S0002-8223(99)00218-7, PMID 10450304 
11. ^ Clinical Guidelines on the Identification, Evaluation, and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults, The Evidence Report. NIH Publication NO. 98-4083, september 1998. NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in cooperation with The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney diseases.
12. ^ Gastrointestinal surgery for severe obesity: National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Conference Statement. Am J Clin Nutr 1992;55(S2):615S-619S. PMID 1733140
13. ^ Colquitt J, Clegg A, Sidhu M, Royle P. Surgery for morbid obesity. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2003; 2: CD003641. PMID 12804481
14. ^ Gerwecka, C.A.; Krenkela, J.; Molinia, M.; Frattingera, S.; Plodkowskia, R.; Jeora, S. St (2007), "Tailoring Information to the Needs of the Individual Patient Sustains Interest in the Weight Loss Program and Increases Compliance: A Pilot Project", Journal of the American Dietetic Association 107 (8): A83, doi:10.1016/j.jada.2007.05.212 

External links

• VIDEO: How Bariatrics Has Changed Our Understanding of Type II Diabetes Dr. Daniel McKenna speaks at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, 2008.
• MedLinePlus Portal on Weight Loss Surgery