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Dr. John DeBarros discusses how bariatric surgery can positively affect comorbidities such as high blood pressure, sleep apnea and diabetes. Dr. DeBarros is an experienced bariatric surgeon at Banner Estrella Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
Dr. DeBarros:
Comorbidities is just, it’s another fancy word that doctors use for what really is called additional medical problems. Examples of comorbidities are high blood pressure, or hypertension, another name for that; diabetes, either type 2 or type 1 diabetes is a comorbidity; sleep apnea is a comorbidity; gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD or reflux is a comorbidity.
You know, so any other medical problem in addition to being overweight, morbid obesity, is considered a comorbidity, something in addition to or ‘co’ to the medical problem of obesity, okay?
So that’s a simple definition of that. In terms of reduction of comorbidities with bariatric surgery, that is the principle reason to do bariatric surgery. It’s reduction of comorbidities and decreasing weight.
We actually have to follow the comorbidities on every patient and we record them when the patient comes in, and we record the improvement or the completion or actually the eradication of that comorbidity as the patient loses weight and we have to document all that stuff.
Typically in our practice, we send very detailed letters to the primary care doctors as they follow the patients because you cannot have a patient on blood pressure medication with a normal blood pressure. That was a recipe for disaster, as well as diabetes – you can’t have a patient on diabetes medication with no diabetes and typically the LAP-BAND® and gastric bypass procedures have shown 73% or greater eradication of diabetes, type 2 diabetes.
About Dr. John J. DeBarros, M.D., F.A.C.S.:
Dr. John DeBarros is an experienced surgeon and board certified by the American Board of Surgery and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He is a member of The American Society of Bariatric and Metabolic Surgeons, The American College of Surgeons, The Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons and the Maricopa Medical Society.
Keywords:
Condition: Obesity Morbid Obesity, Weight Loss, Morbidly Obese
Related Terms: Bariatric Surgery, Adjustable Gastric Band Procedure, Comorbidities, Nutrition, BMI, Weight Loss, Body Mass Index, LAP-BAND®, Gastric Bypass Surgery
Health Care Provider: Banner Hospital, Banner Medical Center, Banner Bariatric, Banner Estrella Medical Center, Banner Health, Banner Bariatric Center
Location: Phoenix, AZ, Arizona, Scottsdale, Mesa, Tempe, Chandler, 85037
Expert: Dr. John J. DeBarros, Dr. DeBarros, John J. DeBarros, M.D., Doctor DeBarros, Bariatric Surgery John DeBarros
Expertise: Weight Management, Restorative Health, Bariatric Surgery, Laparoscopic Bariatric Surgery, LAP-BAND®, Adjustable Gastric Band, Gastric Bypass Surgery