11 | 8 | 2007 Posted By Regan Zambri & Long

Even After Weight-loss Surgery, Obese Patients Face Higher Death Rate

Patients who undergo bariatric surgery to lose weight still experience a higher-than-average death rate afterwards, according to a new study recently published in the Archives of Surgery.  The higher death rate is partly attributable to the typical health complications that accompany obesity.

Researchers in Pennsylvania reviewed the cases of 19,000 patients there who had undergone stomach surgery over a 9-year period.  The average age of those patients at the time of their operation was 48 years.  Roughly 1% of the group died within the following year, and roughly 6% died within the following five years.  Heart disease was the primary cause of death in approximately 20% of the group.  Additionally, 14 members of the group committed suicide -- a similarly-sized group of people in the general population would have experienced only about 2 suicides. 

Previously on the DC Metro Area Medical Malpractice Law Blog, we have posted articles related to:

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