The Current Status of Bariatric Surgery in Korea / 임상당뇨병

ABSTRACT

Bariatric surgery is considered to be the most effective treatment modality in maintaining long-term weight reduction and improving obesity-related conditions in patients that are morbidly obese. Since 2003 when the first bariatric surgery was performed in Korea, the annual number of cases has markedly increased. The adjustable gastric banding procedure is known to be less invasive and less destructive than gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy, and it is unique that the proportion of this procedure is much higher in Korea than in other countries. This phenomenon arises from a misunderstanding that bariatric surgery has an unacceptably high morbidity rate and that it is not superior to nonsurgical treatment to improve obesity and related diseases. To overcome this misunderstanding, it is essential for doctors as well as patients to understand that obesity is a disease entity that requires an intensive treatment and to comprehend that bariatric surgery is a viable treatment for obesity.