Obesity-Related Health Conditions And The Lap-Band Procedure
One of the easiest ways to strengthen your body is to make lifestyle changes that will help you to lose weight in a stable and healthy fashion. One of the ways you can do it is by getting the lap-band – a tool that will allow you to cut your portions without constantly feeling hungry. Shedding extra pounds will not only improve your overall health and well being, but significantly prolong you life.
If you are interested in finding out more about obesity related illnesses, as well as learn how to better assess your risk of developing any of these conditions, you can read the information below or call our patient advocate who will be more than happy to answer any of your concerns.
What is My Body Mass Index (BMI) And How Is It Related to Obesity?
The first step to assess whether you may be at a higher risk of developing conditions associated with obesity is to compute your Body Mass Index (BMI). The BMI is a measurement that helps to determine whether your weight is adequate for your height. In other words, it helps determine whether your weight may be affecting your health.
While assessing your BMI, please keep in mind that BMI does not differentiate between fat and muscle tissue. This means that a very muscular individual could be mistakenly classified as overweight despite a very low body fat percentage.
If you would like to calculate your BMI, you can use the calculator provided by DayOne Health on the right side of your screen, or compute it yourself by using the following formula:
BMI = [Weight in pounds ÷ height in inches2] x 703
Below are the BMI categories adopted in 1998 by the National Institute of Health, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute:
| BMI | Classification | Level of Health Risk |
| 18.5 - 24.9 | Normal weight | Minimal/low |
| 25 - 29.9 | Overweight | Increased |
| 30 - 34.9 | Obese | High |
| 35 - 39.9 | Severely Obese | Very High |
| 40 and up | Morbidly Obese | Extremely High |
Until 2011, the lap-band surgery was available only for patients with the minimum BMI of 35 and with two or more conditions associated with the excess weight. In February 2011, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved an expanded lap-band indication for low BMI patients, which allows patients with a BMI as low as 30 with at least one associated health condition to qualify for lap-band procedure.
While the FDA’s recommendation includes lower BMI patients as candidates for a lap band procedure, most of insurance companies still use the BMI of 35 as a cut off point for lap-band coverage. Namely, most of the time in order to be approved for adjustable gastric band procedure, a patient has to have the BMI above 40 or 35 if he or she has at least two of the conditions associated with excess weight and obesity.
If you are interested in what health conditions are recognized as co-morbidities, you will find the list below:
Type 2 Diabetes and Obesity
Obesity is closely linked to type 2 diabetes, a condition where an onset of insulin resistance causes sugar to back up in the blood. Diabetes has serious health consequences including eye and foot problems, kidney damage and even cardiovascular disease. The good news is that type 2 diabetes is preventable as well as reversible.
Several published studies have found that lap-band surgery can improve or even resolve type 2 diabetes. Although the relationship between obesity and diabetes is not causal, it was proven that weight loss can improve or even resolve diabetes completely. Learn more about diabetes and lap-band surgery in Chicago.
High Blood Pressure & Heart Disease
High blood pressure and increased cardiovascular risk are also frequent companions of higher BMIs. You need to remember that if you are significantly overweight, your body not only has the additional burden of extra weight causing the heart to pump harder, but it also has an increased blood volume. Along with an arterial resistance due to the thickened vessels, all of these elements highly contribute to the increased risk of an overweight person becoming hypertensive.
Excess weight may also cause structural changes to the heart. This process, referred to as adverse “cardiac remodeling,” could cause irregular heartbeat, atrial fibrillation, or even heart failure. While these changes once present are very dangerous and most likely irreversible, catching symptoms of deterioration early and addressing them with appropriate lifestyle changes can help you combat hypertension from the beginning. If you are significantly overweight, the first step on the way to improve your health would be shedding extra pounds. The same as in the case of type 2 diabetes, the lap-band procedure was shown to be an effective weight loss method that can largely contribute to improving or even curing your high blood pressure. Learn more about hypertension and lap-band surgery.
Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a medical problem in which you stop breathing for some periods of time while asleep. Sleep apnea can cause fatigue during the day, headaches, depression and even memory loss. Moreover, sleep apnea has been linked with high blood pressure and heart disease.
Sleep apnea is another condition that is very prevalent among overweight patients. As in most of the conditions associated with obesity, sleep apnea can be diminished through weight loss. That is also why the lap-band procedure is believed to be so successful in improving sleep apnea symptoms. The same as in the case of type 2 diabetes and hypertension, sleep apnea is recognized by most of the health insurance companies as a co-morbidity, so if you are between 35 and 40 BMI it is possible that your weight loss surgery can be covered by your insurance.
Joint Problems
Joint problems, likely the most prevalent of obesity-related co-morbidities, can be painful and affect your entire body. Excess weight puts a lot of strain on your joints making them work much harder than they would without the extra weight. Because your joints feel three times the weight of every gained pound, even small weight change can make a big difference in how your joints feel. For example, 10 pounds of extra body weight is felt by the knees as an extra 30 pounds. By the same token, if you lose 10 pounds, your knees will feel a relief from supporting an additional 30 pounds. This weight sensitivity makes it a lot more obvious, as to why the excess weight may be such an important factor in developing arthritis in your joints.
Although losing weight may not reverse the joint damage that has already been done, research shows that even moderate weight loss can gradually eliminate joint pain and help prevent further damage. As in the case of other co-morbidities, lap-band procedure may be of a great benefit in fighting the joint pain associated with weight excess.
Infertility
Infertility, although not recognized by insurance companies as such, is one of the most prevalent obesity-related co-morbidities among women. Hormonal imbalance connected with excretion and storage of sex hormones in fat cells, is a high contributor of irregular periods and fertility issues. Excess weight and prolonged hormonal imbalance can also lead to polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) – the main causes of infertility.
PCOS is primarily caused by insulin resistance, which is often found among significantly overweight women. As doctors point out, weight loss and decrease in the amount of glucose in your bloodstream can minimize PCOS symptoms and make your periods more regular. Lap-band seems to address PCOS patients’ needs directly by decreasing their food portions. Smaller portions lead to lower blood glucose levels and decrease the amount of insulin needed.
Just like with the other co-morbidities, lap-band surgery has been shown to improve or resolve gynecological problems such as menstrual irregularity, PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) and infertility in women. Many women, who couldn’t conceive before the lap-band procedure in Chicago, got pregnant soon after losing considerable amount of weight with an adjustable gastric band. Unlike other weight loss procedures, the band can also be adjusted to meet the increased nutritional needs of future moms. This way the mother and the baby can go through the safer and less stressful pregnancy.
Lose Weight With the LAP-BAND in Chicago!
If you have any of the co-morbidities above or any other health conditions associated with obesity, don’t wait! Schedule a consultation with DayOne Health by scheduling a one-on-one consultation with an experienced lap-band surgeon or calling us at (312) 239-3838.
