Dr Amit Garg, bariatric and metabolic surgeon, Fortis Hospital, Mohali flanked by three patients who have successfully undergone bariatric surgery and are now leading a healthy life addressing the media person about the Bariatric Surgery & Detail about the symptoms & precautions for Obesity, on Saturday at Sirsa.
Sirsa, March 28, 2015: As many as 30.3 percent of all males and 37.5 percent of all females in Punjab are obese and same is the situation in neighboring state Haryana, said Dr Amit Garg, bariatric and metabolic surgeon at Fortis Hospital, Mohali while addressing media persons at a press conference flanked by three patients who have successfully undergone bariatric surgery and are now leading a healthy life.
Quoting World Health Organization (WHO) Dr Garg said that obesity has reached an alarming proportion wherein puts every sixth person in world is considered obese and one in ten is diabetic, while one in three suffers from high blood pressure.
He added that the National Health Family Survey Data puts as many as 30.3% of all males and 37.5% of all females in Punjab were obese, while Haryana too carried almost same picture. The incidence of obesity was alarming. He said that obesity may result in Coronary Heart Disease (CHD), high blood pressure, stroke, type 2 diabetes, abnormal blood fats, metabolic syndrome, cancer, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, and reproductive problems.
He introduced patient 43-year-old Gurwinder Kaur, a resident of Ratia, who underwent bariatric surgery and lost over 35 Kg. Kaur, weighed 129 kg. The team of doctors, led by Dr Garg, performed procedure on patient to reduce size of stomach and limits food intake. The surgery involved five to six small incisions in abdomen and performing procedure using video camera and long instruments that are placed through them. As much as 75% of the stomach was removed leaving a narrow gastric tube.
Bhim Kamboj, a 50-year-old resident of Sirsa, lost almost 50 kg since May, 2014 when he underwent this surgery. An overwhelmed Kamboj said, “I underwent surgery when I was heaviest at 140 kg. Dr Amit explained that this was a completely safe procedure and changed my lifestyle if I wanted the surgery to be successful. I followed his advice and have lost close to 50 kg.”
The third patient Seema, who was close to 102 Kg in May, underwent the surgery to lose the excess weight. Today, she weighs 72 Kg and has included healthy food and walks in her daily routine.
Dr Garg said that obesity is a major health problem society faces today. The incidence of obesity among people has more than doubled in last two decades across the world. Stressful yet sedentary lifestyle and eating disorders are main reasons for this problem. To counter associated problems with this condition, it is essential that we amend our lifestyle and shift to more healthier eating habits. Some of the major risk factors associated with obesity include diabetes, heart disease, sleep apnea, acid reflux, hypertension and even cancer. To counter problem, there should be weight-loss management includes medical therapy, behavior and lifestyle medication, and finally, bariatric surgery. “People with a BMI (Body Mass Index) of over 30 are obese. The Bariatric surgery is the only long-term effective therapy in the management of morbid obesity. It is particularly helpful for people who are severely and morbidly obese,” Dr Garg further said. He added that at Fortis Hospital there are facilities for minimally invasive bariatric surgery. The skilled surgeons’ team and best of facilities enable patient to leave hospital without staying in an ICU even after surgery. The patients are able to walk on the same day as the surgery and are not required to stay for more than three days, said Mr Abhijit Singh, Facility Director, Fortis Hospital Mohali.