Cutting down the fat

While an increasing number of females in the UAE are opting for bariatric surgery to look good and fight disease, males are choosing the option to appear presentably fit for a job hunt.

Asma Ali Zain

Published: Wed 3 Jul 2013, 9:25 AM

Last updated: Tue 7 Apr 2015, 6:44 PM

Numbers of those seeking surgery have been increasing gradually at Al Qasimi Hospital, Sharjah, where between seven and 10 people walk in for consultation in a week.

Now a svelte lady

As an overweight child born in an obese family, Hind Yousef had to fight obesity and perceptions nearly all her life. But the young Egyptian did not think of bariatric surgery as an option until she developed health problems at a weight of 129 kilos nearly three years ago.

“After I had a total hip replacement surgery, I became inactive which led to weight gain,” she said. “Though I followed a diet, I gained weight rapidly in three years.”

“I then got married and gained more weight ... it was when my gynecologist told me to lose weight since I wanted a baby badly that I decided to go for weight loss consultation.”

Hind had to face objection at home. “My parents were against the surgery and my husband did not agree, and I told them that I am the one who is suffering.”

On May 24, 2011, Hind underwent a one-hour sleeve gastrectomy surgery at Al Qassimi Hospital. Since then, she has lost a massive 50 kilos and now is a svelte lady weighing an appropriate 80kg. She also conceived within five weeks of the surgery.

“My baby is now one year old, and am very happy I had the surgery.”

Hind, who works as a nurse, said that side effects of the surgery were little or none. “I eat everything within the limits that I have set for myself … and according to the size of my stomach.”

Besides, I can now wear clothes that I once dreamed of. Hind is also trying to convince her overweight brother, who is borderline diabetic, to undergo the surgery.

asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com

Over 900 weight loss surgeries have been conducted at the Bariatric Surgery Department since it opened in 2010 with 70 per cent of the cases being female, said Dr Abdul Wahid Al Wahedi, Consultant General Surgeon and head of the department while speaking to Khaleej Times. Besides appearing slim and trim as an end result, the main purpose of the surgery is to fend of disease associated with obesity, explained the senior doctor who advocates the procedure if all else has failed. “Obesity itself is a disease,” said Dr Al Wahedi. “And the best way to reduce weight is through diet and exercise … but in some cases surgery is the best option.”

On June 29, the hospital organised the first ever Sharjah Obesity Day conference in cooperation with the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity (IFSO). “Of those we operated up on, 70 per cent (approximately 630) of the cases were women who wanted to appear beautiful,” said Dr Al Wahedi.

“Majority of the men opted for the procedure only because they thought it would help improve their appearance and eventually help them secure a job.” The hospital, however, follows strict regulations on who qualifies for the surgery. “Patients are only taken if their body mass index (BMI) is between 35 and 40 and the patients have co-morbid conditions such as hypertension and cardiac issue. Surgery is only done if the programme fails. In Japan, India and China, surgeries are being done on patients even with a BMI of 25, said the doctor. “Obesity is prevalent in India though we think otherwise ... a reason could be that many may eat less but mostly it is food that is rich in carbohydrates and full of calories.”

“Very cheap groceries should be avoided. They contain usually higher levels of calories. The best treatment for oneself is prevention,” he added. Quoting a study by the UAE University, Dr Wahedi said 60 per cent of the UAE population is overweight while 30 per cent is obese. While surgery is free for UAE nationals, expats have to pay Dh12,000 to 13,000 for procedures such as bypass surgery, sleeve gastrectomy and gastric balloon.

“The duration of an operation depends on the type and is between one to two hours. The bypass surgery takes around one and a half to two hours and the sleeve gastrectomy one hour,” he said. The largest patient who has walked into the department until now weighed 260kg.

“We had to put him on a diet before we could operate ... when he lost 15 kilos, only then we could operate,” said Dr Wahedi. “Until three months ago, the patient still weighed 225kgs and is losing.”

According to the doctor, super obese children may also require surgery. The youngest patient operated upon at the hospital was a 16-year-old girl. “Surgery for children depends on how doctors and parents perceive the future of the child if they continue to be obese,” explained the doctor.

“Surgery on children is not encouraged at the hospital until we set up a specialised department.”

All surgeries, however, have side effects.

“Surgery itself is not magic ... patients have to follow a special diet, medication and then there are chances that there could be ‘a leak’ and other general complications in two to four per cent of those operated upon,” he added. -World Health Organisation (WHO) statistics for 2010 indicate that 1.5 billion of the world’s population is fat of which 500 million are obese. Estimates say that in 2015 around two billion people will be overweight and 700 million obese.