Doha, Qatar: Bariatric surgery has become a popular weight loss procedure in Qatar with many different options available locally, according to the findings of the Qatar Biobank.
Data collected by the population based cohort study by the Qatar Biobank has indicated that “bariatric surgery is an increasingly popular method of weight loss surgery.”
According to the Qatar Biobank annual report 2022–2023, responses of 26,280 participants were recorded and 12% (3169) of the total participants reported having had bariatric surgery.
Among them 15% (1,949) were women and 9% (1,220) were men have underwent a bariatric procedure, and most of them have chosen the sleeve gastrectomy procedure.
In bariatric surgeries sleeve gastrectomy or gastric bypass surgery is a surgical weight loss procedure in which the stomach is reduced to about 25% of its original size through surgical removal of a large part of it or by rerouting the digestive tract.
Qatar follows national guidelines for bariatric (weight loss) surgeries to comply with the recommendations by international bodies, and the Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery Centre at Hamad Medical Corporation is one of the largest centres specialising in obesity treatment and bariatric surgery.
It provides integrated, evidence-based medical services at the highest international standards. The Centre receives 14,500 patient visits annually and performs 800 to 1000 bariatric surgeries every year.
In addition to surgical services, the Center also provides therapeutic management for obesity and its associated diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol, through a group of specialised doctors with the highest levels of training and fellowships in obesity medicine and bariatric surgery, in addition to a team of clinical dietitians, physiotherapists and health educators.
Among the Biobank study responders 27% (868) have undergone the procedure following a doctor’s advice.
But 72% (880) of men and 73% (1421) of women took the personal decision to have bariatric surgery.
Additional information recorded showed that most procedures were performed within Qatar (47% [576] of men and 65% [1,273] of women). Another 41% of men (495) and 24% (471) of women have undergone the procedure in Arab countries outside the GCC region.
The population based cohort study by the Qatar Biobank is a medical research initiative aims to recruit 60,000 Qatari nationals and long-term residents of more than 15 years, over the age of 18, with five-year follow up visits. Till date 37,000 participants have been recruited to the study.
The 2022-2023 annual report of Qatar Biobank has published data collected from 30,742 cohort participants.
The study shows that 20% (5,975) of men were recorded as being in the overweight category with a BMI of 25 or more compared to 15.5% (4681) of women.
A further 18% (5493) of men recorded a BMI above 30, placing them in the obese category compared with 23% (6959) of women. Within the normal weight BMI between 18.5 and 25 category, 10.5% (3184) of women and 11% (3290) of men were recorded.
If a participant is found to have concerning BMI measurements are referred to the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC),
Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) or to the internal medicine clinic at Hamad General Hospital for obesity.
Body mass index (BMI) is a value derived from the mass (weight) and height of a person.
When the BMI reading ranges between 25 and 29.5, the individual is classified as overweight. Individuals with a body mass index of 30 or more are considered to have obesity while those with a BMI of 40 or higher are considered to have severe obesity.
