Bariatric Surgery (Sleeve Gastrectomy): Medical Indication or Trendy Phenomenon Among Young Adults Aged 18–25?!

Abstract

Introduction

This study presents a critical analysis of bariatric surgery as a complex medical intervention. The relevance of this research is underscored by the global obesity epidemic and the increasing popularity of surgical treatment options. The primary objective is to identify the clinical boundary between vital medical indications—such as the management of morbid obesity and concomitant metabolic pathologies—and contemporary socio-cultural "fashionable" trends. Furthermore, the study focuses on evaluating postoperative efficacy in the context of improving patients' physical and psycho-emotional quality of life.

Methods

This study utilizes a retrospective-observational methodology. The empirical data consists of the medical documentation (inpatient medical records, Form №100) of 48 patients treated at the New Vision University Hospital. Secondary data verification and the acquisition of long-term outcomes were conducted using structured online questionnaires. Statistical processing accounted for patient demographics, anamnestic data, and postoperative dynamics, adhering strictly to ethical norms and personal data confidentiality principles.

Results

The representative majority of the surveyed cohort (72.9%) were female. The absolute majority of patients presented with Class III (morbid) obesity (BMI > 40 kg/m²), which was ethologically linked to eating disorders, hypodynamia, and genetic predisposition. Analysis of the preoperative psychosocial status revealed a high prevalence of eating disorders (78.6%) and clinical depression (71.4%). Postoperative follow-up demonstrated a significant increase in quality of life, an improved metabolic profile, and high rates of social adaptation.

Conclusion

Although bariatric surgery is frequently perceived within public discourse as an aesthetic "trend," our findings confirm that in cases of morbid obesity, it constitutes a strictly defined medical necessity. Bariatric surgery is not a simplified shortcut for weight loss; rather, it is a multidisciplinary therapeutic approach that demands robust psychological readiness and a radical, permanent lifestyle transformation to sustain long-term clinical efficacy.