The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Squeezing out obesity with silicon

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 07, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Squeezing out obesity with silicon

Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD: Being overweight is disturbing. Obese? That's a nightmare. What about being morbidly obese, when you weigh 40kg or more than what you should?

Ask Shaik Khader Basha, a 47-year-old businessman from Kukatpally, who struggled to move with his 138kg body. From dieting, exercise to medication and even a weight loss programme that saw him lose 20kg in one month, nothing worked. The 20kg that disappeared was back with a vengeance in three months and along came hypertension, asthma and osteoarthritis in both knees.

From biryani to juice

Now, after a bariatric surgery at Global Hospitals on December 1, he is 4kg lighter. Mr. Basha, talking to the media on Monday, says two glasses of juice are now enough instead of the two biryanis he could polish off easily. "I feel as if my stomach is full."

Global Hospital CMD K. Ravindranath and his colleague, laparoscopic and bariatric surgeon Ashish Vashistha explain how. "If your body mass index (BMI), the ratio of your height and weight, exceeds 40, i.e., if you are 40kg heavier than your standard weight, you can go for a bariatric surgery, which we have done for the first time in Andhra Pradesh."

Banding and bypass

Bariatric surgery at Global's new Obesity Clinic includes two methods, laparoscopic gastric banding and laparoscopic gastric bypass. Mr. Basha underwent the former, wherein a band made of silicon is placed around the stomach, tightening it and restricting food intake. For those who are around 180-200kg or excess BMI of above 50, gastric bypass is done, where a small pouch is created by stapling the stomach. This again restricts the intake.

While surgery is over in an hour, a three-month follow-up is required, with diet restrictions to ensure whatever little you eat is sufficient. The reduced intake causes burning of excess fat as well, Dr. Ravindranath says.

Only a last resort

"This is not a cosmetic surgery and is the last resort for morbidly obese people. At a rate of around 3kg every month, you lose 40-50 kg in two years and related disorders of obesity are minimised," says Dr. Vashistha. The Rs.1.5 lakh surgery is now a regular practice at Global (Phone: 23244444), he adds. Surveys show that nine percent of Indians are obese.

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