The Department of Research, Studies, Evaluation and Statistics (DREES) has just published a report on the development of obesity surgery in France. In 20 years, the number of interventions by bariatric surgery has indeed been multiplied by more than 20, going from 2,800 operations in 1997 to 59,300 in 2016.
The vast majority of obese patients who choose to undergo surgery have between 25 and 54 years old and 80% of them are women. “However, hospitalization rates for patients over 64 have increased almost tenfold in twenty years. And the number of underage patients operated on each year, while still low, is also tending to increase.” underlines the DREES.
In total, 1500 underage patients have been operated on in twenty years, almost all being 13 years or older. And among seniors, the number of operated patients rose from 118 in 1997 to more than 1,500 in 2016.
The “sleeves” are the most frequent operations
In 2016, bariatric surgery was performed in 524 establishments, of all statuses, which have a very variable level of activity. The lucrative private sector carries out 63% of interventions, while 15% of interventions take place in regional hospitals, 17% in other public hospitals and 5% in the private non-profit sector.
The proportion of interventions comprising a bypass (an operation which bypasses a part
intestine) doubled between 2006 and 2009 to stabilize at around 25% since. But these are the sleeve-
gastrectomies which are the most frequent interventions (58.5% in 2016). They have gradually replaced the perigastric rings, the share of which fell from 53.6% in 2006 to less than 4% in 2016.
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“While bariatric surgery is an effective treatment for morbid obesity, leading to 20% weight loss in the first year, this should not overshadow the importance of preventing obesity, which involves measures of public health to reduce the number of overweight, obese or morbidly obese people “ concludes the DREES.
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