Comparison of the costs associated with medical and surgical treatment of obesity

Background. We compared the long-term costs and outcomes of gastric bypass versus medical therapy (very low-calorie diet plus weekly behavioral modification) for obese patients. Methods. A successful outcome was defined as the loss of at least one third of excess weight that was maintained for the duration of the study. A minimal cost was assigned: $3000 for medical and $24,000 for surgical treatment. A cost per pound of weight lost for all patients successfully monitored was calculated. The Federal Trade Commission recently asked all weight loss programs to report this cost for patients at least 2 years after therapy. Results. A total of 201 patients entered surgical and 161 entered medical therapy. The surgical group was initially heavier (mean body mass index [kg/m²] ±SE=49.3±0.6 versus 41.2±0.7, p<0.01), but each group's lowest mean body mass index was similar (31.8 versus 32.1, respectively). A significantly higher percentage of patients in the surgical versus the medical group were still successful at year 5: 89% versus 21%. The cost per pound lost for medical therapy exceeded the cost of surgical therapy in the sixth posttreatment year (both more than $250/pound). Conclusions. Surgical treatment appears to be more cost-effective at producing and maintaining weight loss. It is imperative that long-term follow-up studies be funded to definitely establish this finding.