Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy in Patients With Preexisting Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

Abstract

The incidence of morbid obesity has been steadily increasing worldwide and is now commonly referred to as an epidemic. Morbid obesity has been associated with multiple adverse health effects, including mortality and morbidity from heart disease, diabetes mellitus, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, and hypertension.^1,2 An additional common weight-related comorbidity is gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), with an increase in both reflux symptoms (odds ratio, 1.94) and esophageal adenocarcinoma (odds ratio, 2.78) associated with a body mass index (BMI; calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) above 30.^3,4 Attempts at medical management of morbid obesity, including severely restrictive and supervised inpatient weight loss programs, have universally been unsuccessful in achieving significant and sustained weight loss.