OBESITY - START YOUR TREATMENT NOW

THE BEST DOCTORS, THE BEST HOSPITALS, THE BEST MEDICATIONS and TREATMENTS

DANGER OF OBESITY

Increase in body mass can lead to the development of diabetes mellitus, arthrosis, gallstone disease, high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, heart disease, or even a stroke.


Obesity significantly reduces a person’s quality of life and its duration, and it is not just a cosmetic problem.


The reduced availability of physical labour, improvement in the welfare of the population, and availability of food and drinks, have all led to an increase in obesity rates, especially in countries with high economic development.


The problem of obesity has become a national problem in North America, Europe, and Arab states.


Obesity significantly increases the cost of medical care and increases the number of people with a disability.


TREATING SEVERE OBESITY

Not everyone can lose weight on their own. Short-term diets or visits to a fitness centres are ineffective. Whoever wants to lose weight and then keep it at the achieved level, they need to completely change their lifestyle and eating habits, but there is another option, namely bariatric surgery. This is usually used if the obesity is severe, cannot be treated by other methods, or is associated with other diseases.

The severity of obesity is determined by body mass index. A BMI between 25 and 30 kg/m2 is considered overweight. Grade 1 obesity starts at 30 kg/m2, grade 2 starts at a BMI of 35 kg/m2, and a BMI of 40 kg/m2 indicates grade 3 obesity.


The higher the weight, the greater the negative impact on health. Surgical treatment is indicated for grade 3 obesity, or grade 2 if obesity-related diseases have developed. Let’s look at the main techniques which are used abroad for rapid weight loss.

PRICES FOR PROCEDURES

Gastric balloon £3,500

Gastric banding £10,000

Sleeve gastroplasty £11,000

Gastric bypass surgery £12,500

Liposuction £7,000


The balance paid by the Zdenko Kos Foundation.

Insurance covered by foundation as well.

WHAT IS ON OFFER and HOW WE CAN HELP YOU WITH OBESITY

GASTRIC BALLON

A Gastric balloon is to treat mild obesity and requires the patient to implement a weight loss diet, but does make it much easier.


The trick here with this procedure is that a balloon is inserted into the stomach. It is inflated and therefore occupies a large part of the stomach. As a result, patient cannot eat much food and the feeling of hunger disappears quickly.


The balloon does not stay in the stomach permanently, 4-6 months after the procedure it is pulled out. The patient's task is to lose as many extra pounds as possible during this time. A patient has to limit their calorie intake. After the removal of the balloon, they will need to change their lifestyle if they do not want to regain the excess weight.


The procedure has obvious advantages – there is no need to perform an operation, no risk of serious complications, and a low treatment cost. However, it has disadvantages such as, its possible ineffectiveness in severe obesity, and that it requires self-control.



ADJUSTABLE GASTRIC BENDING

During laparoscopic surgery, a ring is put on the stomach. This separates the upper part of the stomach, the so-called "gastric pouch", with a volume of 15 ml.

When eating, food enters the upper part of the stomach first, stretches its walls and activates the receptors which are responsible for satiety. A person will then reduce their servings and gradually lose weight.


The benefits of this surgery:

  • low invasiveness
  • complete reversibility - the ring can be removed
  • efficiency of the operation is about 85%


Although this operation is the least traumatic method of bariatric surgery, it is inferior to the others in effectiveness. The only problem is that after bandaging, the need to have self-control is still essential. A person has to refuse high-calorie foods. About 15-20% of patients specially female do not lose weight after this operation.

SLEEVE GASTROPLASTY

GASTRIC BY-PASS SURGERY

A "sleeve" is made from the stomach – a doctor removes part of it, performing a longitudinal resection. The result is a "tube" with a diameter of 1-3 cm, with a volume of about 100 ml. Weight loss occurs due to the following mechanisms:


  • reduction of the stomach size accelerates satiety
  • limits too large portions
  • part of the stomach that produces the hormone of hunger – ghrelin, is removed
  • secretory activity of the stomach decreases, which leads to lower digestive efficiency.


The risk of complications in the very best clinics we are working with is less than 1%. The following 2 years after surgery, patients lose an average of 60% of excess weight.


Conscious diet control is not required after this operation, since a patience's taste preferences and eating behaviour change.

The Zdenko Kos Foundation

This is one of the most effective operations. It can be used for the treatment of obesity in patients with a body mass index of more than 45 kg/m².


The objective of the operation is that a doctor separates the upper part of the stomach and forms an anastomosis with the small intestine. The following results are achieved:


  • stomach is reduced in size
  • food bolus passes by the duodenum
  • food does not enter the upper part of the small intestine.
  • Weight loss is achieved by two mechanisms at once: early satiety and impaired digestion. Many nutrients are simply not absorbed.


In top clinics we are recommending, surgery is performed using a laparoscopic method. Doctors occasionally have to switch to open surgical access.


This surgery ensures the following benefits:


  • loss of 75% of excess weight during the first year after surgery
  • improvement of blood lipid profile and reduction of cardiovascular risks
  • normalization of carbohydrate metabolism – 2 out of 3 patients with diabetes mellitus stop their oral hypoglycaemic drug intake.


However, such therapy there a few disadvantages.

To avoid hypovitaminosis and anaemia, a person has to take vitamin-mineral complexes for life. In up to 4% of patients operated on, ulcers develop in the upper gastrointestinal tract. Protein deficiency develops in some patients.


However, a gastric bypass has more advantages than disadvantages. This operation solves the problem of obesity, increases quality of life and life expectancy, and prevents many complications, including fatal ones. 



BILIOPANCREATIC DIVERSION

LIPOSUCTION

The most complex one and the most effective surgery for the treatment of obesity. The stomach is reduced by up to 200 ml. The small intestine is divided into alimentary (200-250 cm long), biliopancreatic (100-200 cm long), and general (50-100 cm long) loops. The following aims are reached as a result of the operation:


  • reduced stomach volume
  • food bolus passes by part of the gastrointestinal tract, where the food is usually digested
  • bile with pancreatic juice does not get into the food, so the food is absorbed poorly.


This operation is relatively rare. After it, a deficiency of fat-soluble vitamins often develops, and it is not always possible to compensate for it, even with the help of drugs. A tropological insufficiency is developed in some patients, and they need enzymatic agents. Some patients suffer from dyspepsia. They have to take antisecretory drugs.

Liposuction is not a treatment for obesity. It only improves the appearance of a patient who is overweight. At the same time, cardiovascular, metabolic, and other risks are not reduced.


During liposuction, fat is removed from the anterior abdominal wall in one way or another, and if necessary, from other areas. Fat is usually emulsified with a laser, ultrasound, vibration, special solutions, and then suctioned with an aspirator.


The procedure is less traumatic; it is performed under local anaesthesia.