Obesity as a Chronic Disease: The Need for Long-Term Follow-Up Postoperatively

Obesity should be considered a chronic disease with hormonal and neurogenic controls and not a lifestyle choice. Metabolic and bariatric surgery is an effective treatment for obesity, but it does not always address the underlying cause of obesity. Patients who have successful metabolic and bariatric surgery should be followed annually for malnutrition and the complications of surgery, including psychiatric ones. Patients who have unsuccessful surgery should be referred to a multidisciplinary metabolic and bariatric surgery team to help determine the best treatment plan for treating recurrent or persistent obesity.