Obesity
What is obesity?
Obesity is a complex medical condition which impacts physical and mental health. Obesity can be linked to a range of other health conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and kidney disease.
Sustained weight loss can be challenging without personalised healthcare support. Obesity treatment typically starts with weight loss and GPs will recommend a reduced calorie diet and exercising more. Peer support and psychological support is also integral. GPs can also prescribe medication which reduces fat absorbed during digestion.
For patients who have tried many weight loss treatments and cannot achieve sustained weight loss, then bariatric surgery is a consideration. These surgeries include gastric bypass or gastric sleeve, commonly referred to as ‘stomach stapling’. There is now an incisionless and less invasive alternative to surgery: Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty (ESG).
How can a gastroenterologist help with obesity?
Gastroenterologists make up part of a multidisciplinary team helping to treat obesity alongside GPs, dieticians or nutritionists, psychiatrists and other healthcare professionals.
The gastrointestinal tract (known as the digestive system) plays a key role in controlling food intake and regulating how the body processes food. Obesity directly influences the process of gastroenterological disease. While the relationship between the two is not fully understood (if obesity causes gastroenterological problems or vice versa), people with obesity experience much higher rates of problems such as heartburn, reflux, abdominal pain and colon polyps (which a gastroenterologist can help diagnose and treat).
Gastroenterologists also perform bariatric surgery (known as weight loss surgery) which involve altering the physiology of the oesophagus, stomach and/or intestines to help reduce calorie intake and aid weight loss.
Dr Haidry offers a cutting edge alternative to conventional weight loss surgery, which is incisionless, called Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty (ESG). ESG is a minimally invasive procedure performed via endoscopy to reduce the stomach volume and studies have shown the majority of patients achieve long term weight management.
Why ESG?
Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG) is a cutting edge alternative to conventional bariatric surgery. It works by reducing the size of your stomach using an endoscopic device (down the throat) to perform the procedure, removing the need for surgery (cutting through the abdomen).
It is a lower risk option for people looking at surgical weight loss surgeries as it is minimally invasive. Dr Rehan Haidry is one of the country’s most experienced endoscopists and was one of the first UK doctors to perform the ESG procedure. Since then he has safely performed many ESG procedures and seen sustained weight loss from these patients. To read about patient experiences click here.
Get In Touch
For any enquiries about conditions, tests or treatments, please feel free to call Dr Rehan Haidry’s medical secretary Debra Hyams on:
Tel: 0203 423 7609 | Email: rhaidrymedsec@ccf.org