1303 Obesity: A Growing Concern in Gynaecological Surgery

Abstract

Introduction Obesity is becoming a major concern in healthcare. The rise in obesity has now reached alarming levels. Obesity is driven by the economic growth, unbalanced diet, and a sedentary lifestyle. Obesity has played a disastrous role in the health of many but significantly has had a detrimental health effect among girls and women. This review focuses on the effect of obesity on various aspects of women’s health including prognosis after gynaecological surgery. Method The search engine used for this literature review was Ovid MEDLINE. Only studies reported in English have been included in this review. The snowball and citation searching method was used to find further relevant articles. Results Various genetic components have been identified to increase the risk of obesity which is further exacerbated with the current obesogenic environment. Women with a BMI≥35 had longer surgeries and an increased rate of severe postoperative adverse events. Additionally, women with a higher BMI had an increased risk of cervical cancer due to under-diagnosis of cervical precancerous lesions, though obesity did not directly alter the association between preoperative biopsy and final tumour grade. Conclusions Despite increased awareness, obesity is still a major contributor of mortality and morbidity. Women in particular are facing severe consequences of the obesogenic environment. In women obesity not only increases their risk of developing gynaecological conditions but also adversely affects prognosis after surgical treatment. In the face of an obesogenic environment, it is important to sought out potential ways to reduce the risk of surgical complications in obese patients.