Patient Demographics

Obesity: A National Epidemic

Obesity rates have increased drastically in the last 25 years, and have now become a national public health concern.¹ It is estimated that:

• Over 72 million people were obese in 2005 to 2006¹
• 15 million individuals meet the criteria for morbid obesity (BMI>40 or BMI>35 with comorbidity)²
• Patients with a BMI>40 lose about 10 years off their expected lifespan-similar to the effect of lifelong smoking³
• A 20 year-old man with a BMI of 45 is expected to lose 13 years of life compared to a normal-weight individual⁴
• Bariatric surgery is discussed with only 25% of morbidly obese patients⁵
• By 2030, the heath care costs associated with overweight and obese patients could account for 16% to 18% of total US health care costs⁶

Obesity in the United States

Given these staggering statistics and the fact that bariatric surgery is the only proven intervention for sustained weight loss in severely obese patients⁷, it is important that physicians seriously consider bariatric surgery when treating severely obese patients.

Use the resources available in the Document Library - Origination section for information on how to introduce bariatric procedure to your patients.

Identifying LAP-BAND AP^® Adjustable Gastric Banding System Patient Candidates

The LAP-BAND AP^® System is indicated for use in morbidly obese patients who:

• Have a BMI ≥ 40 kg/m²
• Have a BMI ≥ 35 kg/m² with one or more severe comorbid conditions
• Are ≥ 100 pounds over their estimated ideal body weight
• Have failed non-surgical weight loss strategies (diet, pharmaceutical therapy, behavior modification, exercise)
• Are willing to adhere to post-operative care and follow-up

References:

1. Ogden et al. Obesity Among Adults in the United States, NCHS Data Brief, 2007
2. ASMBS Web site. Metabolic & bariatric surgery fact sheet. Available at www.asbs.org/Newsite07/media/asmbs_fs_surgery.pdf. Accessed August 29, 2009
3. Whitlock G, Lewington S, Sherliker P et al. Body-mass index and cause-specific mortality in 900 000 adults: collaborative analyses of 57 prospective studies. The Lancet. 2009; 373: 1083-1096
4. Fontaine KR, Redden DT, Wang C, Westfall AO, Allison DB. Years of life lost due to obesity. JAMA. 2003;289:187-193.
5. Data on file, Allergan, Inc. Referring Physicians Market Research. 2008.
6. Zagorsky, J. L. Health and wealth: the late-20th century obesity epidemic in the U.S, Economics and Human biology, 2005
7. Colquitt JL, Picot J, Loveman E, Clegg AJ. Surgery for obesity. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2008, Issue 4.