Severely obese patients may experience significant, long-term improvements in blood pressure as they lose substantial amounts of weight after gastric bypass surgery, thereby contributing to their overall health, according to a new University of Pittsburgh study, published in the March issue of the Archives of Surgery. Excess body weight is associated with a host of health complications including diabetes, certain cancers and joint stress, with nearly two-thirds of very obese patients suffering from high blood pressure the primary risk factor for both stroke and heart disease.

John Fernstrom, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry, pharmacology and neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and research director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Weight Management Center, and colleagues analyzed data from 347 patients at the upper extreme of body weight, with a beginning Body Mass Index (BMI) of greater than 40 who underwent gastric bypass surgery at UPMC between 1992 and 2001.

BMI is a height-to-weight ratio that determines a patient's degree of obesity. A BMI less than 25 is considered to be a healthy weight, while a BMI of 40 or greater is categorized as extreme obesity. At the time of data analysis, 18 months after surgery, study patients' BMIs had stabilized to about 35 still categorized as obese.

Half of the study patients were classed as hypertensive prior to gastric bypass surgery. Of those, some were unmedicated and had high blood pressure while others were being treated for their hypertension. The patients who were not being treated for hypertension prior to surgery experienced significant blood pressure decreases that continued to remain low 18 months after surgery. Of the patients under active drug treatment for hypertension prior to surgery, about one-third were able to reduce or eliminate their blood pressure medications after surgery. The group of patients with normal blood pressure who were ta
'"/>


20-Mar-2006

Page: 1 2 3
Related medicine news :

1. HealthGrades study: Bariatric surgery patients have fewer complications at high-volume hospitals
2. Bariatric surgery complication rates high in some hospitals, new HealthGrades ratings and study show
3. Bariatric surgery linked to reduced blood pressure at 18 months after surgery
4. Northwestern Memorial Hospital named Bariatric Surgery Society Center of Excellence
5. The Emotional First Aid + Kit: A Practical Guide to Life After Bariatric Surgery
6. Bariatric surgical procedures increase substantially
7. Nonsmall cell lung cancer -- chemotherapy before surgery appears better than surgery alone
8. After epilepsy surgery, quality of life related more to seizures than memory
9. Pancreatic surgery riskier for obese patients
10. Second SPORT study shows surgery advantage for spinal stenosis and slipped vertebra
11. Study questions risks of anti-bleeding drug during heart surgery