Joint Statement Issued for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery

FRIDAY, Oct. 28, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) is recommended for individuals with a body mass index (BMI) of ≥35 kg/m², regardless of the presence or absence of comorbidities, according to a joint statement issued by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders and published online Oct. 20 in Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases and Obesity Surgery.

Dan Eisenberg, M.D., from the Stanford School of Medicine in Palo Alto, California, and colleagues developed a joint statement on the current available scientific information on metabolic and bariatric surgery and its indications.

The authors recommend MBS for individuals with a BMI of ≥35 kg/m², irrespective of the presence, absence, or severity of comorbidities. For individuals with metabolic disease and BMI of 30 to 34.9 kg/m², MBS should be considered. In the Asian population, BMI thresholds should be adjusted, with a BMI of ≥25 kg/m² indicating clinical obesity, and MBS should be offered to individuals with BMI of ≥27.5 kg/m². The long-term safety and efficacy of MBS has been consistently demonstrated. MBS should be considered for appropriately selected children and adolescents.

“Long-term data consistently demonstrate the safety, efficacy, and durability of MBS in the treatment of clinically severe obesity and its comorbidities, with a resultant decreased mortality compared with nonoperative treatment method,” the authors write.