Elderly Can Benefit From Gastric Bypass
A U.S.
study suggests elderly patients can safely undergo gastric bypass surgery
and experience similar benefits from the operation as do younger patients.
Dr. Shawn St.
Peter of the Mayo Clinic Scottsdale in, Scottsdale, Ariz., compared the
results of laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery in 110 patients
younger than 60 years with 20 patients aged 60 years or older.
The researchers
found that during an average follow-up time of approximately 10 months,
weight loss was greater in younger patients -- average of 96.96 pounds,
although the difference was not significant.
Older patients
lost an average of 86.35 pounds.
The study found
both younger and older patients groups experienced a significant decrease
in obesity-related diseases, including high blood pressure and diabetes.
"Patients of
advanced age can safely undergo...gastric bypass with operative results
nearly identical to those of younger patients," said St. Peter.
The study's
results appear in the journal Archives of Surgery,
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Copyright 2005 by United
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