Obesity surgery first for Vietnam

9-May-2007

A hospital in Vietnam has performed obesity surgery on a female patient for the first time.

Surgeons at Hanoi’s Viet Duc Hospital carried out the procedure on a 38-year-old unnamed woman who weighed 95kg but was just 1.65m tall.

It is hoped that the insertion of an adjustable gastric band will limit the woman's food intake to enable her to lose around 10-15kg in the first month and around 40kg within the next six months.

Dr Tran Binh Giang, deputy director of the hospital, explained that domestic demand for obesity surgery in Vietnam has traditionally been low, although there is growing demand from patients seeking similar treatment abroad.

"The rate of people suffering from obesity is on the rise in Vietnam, especially among teenagers and young people," said Dr Gian, reports Earthtimes.

"We have seen many teenagers weighing more than 100 kilograms. That's not normal and is a disease."

Obesity, if left untreated, can lead to a number of health complications including heart disease and diabetes as well as placing greater pressure on joints.