New guidelines for people who qualify for bariatric surgery could open up the procedures to millions more people.
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – Bariatric surgery is also known as weight loss surgery, and bariatric surgeon Dr. Crestwood Medical Center’s Jay Suggs has big news they’ve been waiting for 30 years. Bariatric surgery qualification guidelines have changed.
“The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery has finally released its long-awaited new guidelines, which lower the BMI criterion by about five points. So now all you need is a BMI of 35, which is in the range of morbid obesity, to qualify for bariatric surgery.” overweight, but depends on how tall you are.”
dr Suggs says surgery can be offered to patients with a BMI as low as 30. “So 30 – 34.9 requires a comorbidity associated with obesity, but the comorbidity has become more liberal so it can be anything from severe acid reflux to type 2 diabetes to severe joint pain and arthritis. So we made it available to literally millions of people who would qualify and benefit from bariatric surgeries.”
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Bariatric surgery patient Shannon Layton says she had no comorbidities prior to bariatric surgery and that’s one of the reasons she asked for help. “I didn’t have any comorbidities at the time, but I knew that if I didn’t get help, that’s where I would go.”
Layton says she’s lost about 115 pounds. since October 2020. “I think the highlight would be that my mental health is so much better.” Her experience since her surgery has been so life changing and she says, “If you have the opportunity and you have the weight to lose weight, I would.” Encourage them to do it.”
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