:: Highlands Center for Weight Loss :: Kentucky Laparoscopic Bariatric Surgery

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If you have a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or more -- which is about 100 pounds overweight for men and about 80 pounds for women -- you are considered severely obese and therefore a candidate for weight loss surgery.

Obesity surgery may also be an option for people with a BMI between 35 and 40 who suffer from obesity-related problems (for example, severe sleep apnea, obesity-related heart disease, or diabetes). For these people, the risk of death from not having the surgery may be greater than the risks from the possible complications from undergoing the procedures.

Information provided by WebMD. View Article

The NIH Consensus Panel Recommends That:

Patients have a Body Mass Index >40 kg/m2
- 100 lbs. or more overweight
Patients have a Body Mass Index between 35 and 40 kg/m2 with significant comorbidities
Patients have failed other medically managed weight-loss programs

6% of the U.S. Adult Population (Over 12 Million People) Meet These Criteria

Obesity Classification
Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the U.S. over the past 20 years*

Classification	BMI	US Pop
Overweight	>25.0	64%
Obese (Class I) Obese (Class II)	30.0-34.9 35.0-39.9	21%
Clinically Severe Obesity (Class III)	>40.0	6%

* CDC: www.cdc.gov - accessed 2004, BMI: Body Mass Index = weight/(height)2 kg/m2