As obesity rates continue to grow, the number of patients that undergo weight loss surgery is also on the rise, the latest statistics from the NHS Information Centre have shown.
In 2011/2012, 8,790 patients went through procedures such as stomach stapling and gastric bypasses because their weight posed a threat to their lives. This figure is 700 surgeries up on the previous year and four times higher than in 2006/2007.
The report, ‘Statistics on Obesity, Physical Activity and Diet’, showed that the majority of patients who were given weight loss surgery are women; last year, 6,711 female patients and 2,081 men were given bariatric procedures. Londoners accounted for the biggest proportion of surgeries, with 2,131 patients, followed by the East Midlands (1,616), Yorkshire and the Humber (826) and the North East (805). The fewest procedures took place in the South Central part of the country, where just 446 patients went through surgery to have their stomach reduced.
These statistics come amid information on the alarming obesity rates in the UK. Figures show that one in seven adults in the north-east of England were classed as obese. The region has the highest rate of admission for obesity-related illness at 56 per 100,000 people. This compares with just 12 per 100,000 in the east of England. Overall, hospital admissions in England increased by 1% in 2011/2012 to 11,740 – three times higher than figures in 2006/2007.
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