A New Treatment for Obesity - Literature review Example

A new treatment for obesity The superior mesenteric artery is very important to the functions of the intestines. In human anatomy, the artery originates from the front surface of the abdominal aorta. It is inferior to where the celiac trunk starts and it takes blood to the intestines from the lower side of the duodenum, through the pancreas and the traverse colon (Perler & Becker1998, 23). The superior mesenteric artery is important because it supplies blood to the intestines in order to keep them functional. As a new treatment for obesity, researchers are looking into the possibility of banding this artery so that blood flow to the arteries is reduced. This intervention may have adverse effects to the body. Investigations are therefore underway to determine how this method can cause loss of weight in obese people, and the negative effects it may have on the body. The focus of this paper is to examine how branding can help an obese person to lose weight. It also seeks to investigate the adverse effects that may result from this method of treatment to the patient. Location and sections In a normal adult human being, the superior mesenteric artery starts from the front lower side border of the vertebra L1 (Perler & Becker1998, 51). It is located about 2cm below the celiac trunk. From its origin, it goes in an inferior or anterior direction through the back side of the neck of the splenic vein and pancreas. This section of the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) has a number of vessels under it and between the artery and the aorta. The aorta brings blood from the heart. These vessels include the left renal vein which stretches from the left kidney to the inferior vena cava. This part could be compressed by the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) against the abdominal aorta and the resulting condition is called Nutcracker Syndrome (Sicar 2008, 88). The third section on the duodenum which is a part of the small gut could be compressed under the superior mesenteric artery to cause the condition known as superior mesenteric artery syndrome (SMAs). The uncinate process on the pancreas is a tiny section of the pancreas hooked on the SMA. The SMA flows to the left side of the superior mesenteric vein. After it has gone past the pancreatic neck it branches off (Rhoades & Bell 2008, 14). The superior mesenteric artery is a very important blood vessel given that it takes the blood coming from the aorta to the small and large intestines. Banding the superior mesenteric artery The new method for treating obesity is expected to involve banding. Banding is the process in which elastic bands are applied on a blood vessel to increase constriction. Superior mesenteric artery banding works by blocking a part of the artery so that it cannot allow 100% flow of blood past the banded area. Banding cuts down the flow of blood through the superior mesenteric artery. This reduced flow of blood has major effects to the body because the SMA is a major blood vessel taking blood to the intestines. Naturally, there are cases where blood flow to the intestines can be obstructed due to the constriction of the SMA (Perler & Becker1998, 67). This results from artherosclerosis. The occurrence of this condition does not cause death but has its impacts on the intestines and the body. From the understanding of artherosclerosis, reduced blood flow to the intestines can result in loss of weight. It is expected that branding will have the same effect on the body. Loss of weight can result even if the person involved is having enough vitamins, calories and nutrients in the diet (Sicar 2008, 46). Why banding causes loss of weight According to Perler & Becker (1998, 64) banding the SMA could cause some pain in the patient which would possibly take way the desire for eating. Reduced eating means reduced nourishment to the body, and this may very well cause loss of weight. The small intestines absorb the biggest part of the nutrients consumed through food. Before the digested food gets to the small intestines, mechanical breakdown turns it into a liquid (Rhoades & Bell 2008, 34).This food moves past the internal surface in the small gut that has several tiny folds to increase its surface area for absorption. This movement makes it possible for nutrients to enter the numerous tiny blood vessels that form a network on the small intestines. This blood flows away from the intestines with the nutrients, fats, medications, minerals, electrolytes, and water. The meal could take between three and six hours before the food moves to the end of the small gut (Perler & Becker1998, 39). According to Sicar (2008, 44) the flow of the blood from the intestines carrying the nutrients is very important to the nourishment and development of the body. All the parts of the body depend on these nutrients to grow, remain a live and heal after injuries. All the cells of the body are nourished through this blood flowing from the intestines. Banding the Superior Mesenteric Artery has the effect of reducing the amount of blood flowing to both the large and small intestines. Reduced blood flow to the small intestines means the blood flowing out to the body parts with the nutrients will also be of a smaller amount than the normal (Rhoades & Bell 2008, 37).The implication of this is that the capacity of the blood to absorb all the nutrients available in the intestines is also reduced. Consequently, a lower amount of nutrients than normal is absorbed from the intestines into the bloodstream. The nourishment to the body cells, body tissues and organs is greatly cut down due to insufficient transportation of nutrients from the intestines. As a result the cell functions and the functions of various organs in the body are affected. The effect is the shrinking of body tissues and reduced deposit of fats under the skin hence the loss of weight. A reduced supply of nutrients to the tissues and other parts of the body has the effect of causing a reduction in the total mass of the body because of mean fluid loss, dipose tissue, body fat and lean mass. Loss of lean mass includes a substantial reduction in the mineral deposits of the bones, tendons, muscles and connective tissue (Perler & Becker1998, 83). Adverse effects resulting from banding the artery Reduction of the amounts of nutrients supplied to the body prevents the body tissues and organs to grow, develop and form in the right manner. This is bound to cause different weaknesses and malnutrition diseases in the body (Sicar 2008, 59). Lack of certain nutrients in the body or their supply in inadequate amounts can cause health problems. For example the presence of some vitamins in the body in considerably low amounts than normal leads to the formation of a pale skin, dizziness and bloating. A person who lacks certain nutrients in sufficient amounts may become skinny; have rashes, dry skin, thin and weak hair, bleeding gums, swollen and cracked tongue and visual problems such as night blindness and high sensitivity to glare and light. Such as person may also suffer from anemia, diarrhea, disorientation, irritability, attention deficits and anxiety, goiter, muscle twitches loss of reflexes and muscular coordination, amenorrhea and cracked mouth and lips (Rhoades & Bell 2008, 40). Reduced blood supply to the colon due to banding may result in reduced re-absorption of water from the colon. Water reabsorbed from the colon is taken back into the blood stream to perform various functions in the body. When there is no sufficient blood to transport this water to the rest of the body, there may be constant dehydration (Rhoades & Bell 2008, 100). Intestinal damage Rhoades & Bell (2008, 38) show that the slowing down or reduction of the blood flowing to both the large and the small intestines could cause damage to the inner lining and mucosa of these intestines. Banding can reduce blood flow to the intestines long enough for certain parts of the colon to sustain damages. The inner lining and mucosa will be the first to be damaged. The wall of the colon is made of an outer and inner layer. The delicate covering found on the inside of the colon can easily be affected by ischemia (Sicar 2008, 96). The outer lining may not be affected at all because it is not as delicate as the internal lining. Sicar (2008, 60) argues that there can be cases of acute mesenteric ischemia and intestinal ischemia. Intestinal ischemia can occur whenever there is a stop or slowing down in the blood heading to the intestines. As a result of the diminished flow of blood, the cells within the digestive system can be starved for lack of oxygen. This starvation can cause them to become very weak and die causing intestinal damage. Damage to the intestines can cause a lot of abdominal pain to the patient (Rhoades & Bell 2008, 106). In some cases the effects of reduced blood flow to the intestines could vary. When the injury is not very serious, the patient may suffer from many days of discomfort in the abdomen as well as abnormal bowel habits such as bloody stool, diarrhea, or chronic cramping pain in the abdomen related to eating. This is called intestinal angina (Perler & Becker1998, 77). Severe damage to the intestines can result in fatal gangrene and intestinal rupture and bleeding. This may require that the victim be hospitalized or operated on. Damage to the colon or colon ischemia is the most common condition resulting from reduced flow of blood to the intestines. It therefore follows that branding could be a cause for colon damage in many people. Ischemia of the colon can appear as a sudden, light to moderate pain in the lower part of the left side of the abdomen. It comes with an urgent urge for defecation which produces stool mixed with blood. In some cases of colon ischemia, the patient may have pain in the right side of the lower abdomen with little or no bleeding at all (Perler & Becker1998, 32). Damage to the colon could end in irreversible diseases such as chronic ischemic colitis, gangrene or stricture. Some patients may have damage to the colon that remains on the right side. Such people can have a very bad prognosis which could cause a higher death rate than those whose colon damage in other parts of the large intestines alone or in combination with the involvement of the right side. Most people with bad cases of small intestinal damage could have severe pain in the abdomen. Such patients may not suffer from diarrhea or bleeding from the rectum. Intestinal injury may be seen from the distention of the abdomen (Sicar 2008, 56). Conclusion In conclusion, the paper has examined the possibility of treating obesity by banding the superior mesenteric artery. Banding of arteries is a new way of treating obese conditions that is still under investigation. Banding involves the use of an elastic band to block a section of the artery so that it is constricted. Banding is expected to reduce the flow of blood to the intestines. Reducing the amount of blood flowing to the intestines means there will be lesser blood to flow out of the intestines into the body after assimilation. The quantity of nutrients taken from the intestines to the body therefore drops considerably. Lack of proper nourishment to the tissues and cells of the body ca easily result in loss of weight. Banding the superior mesenteric artery to lower blood flow to the intestines may damage the inner lining and mucous membrane of the large and small intestines. The damage of the intestines constitutes small intestinal ischemia and colon ischemia for the small intestines and large intestines respectively. Ischemia is a condition that may cause problems including abdominal pains and bloody stool. Severe cases of intestinal damage may cause death to victims. Bibliography Perler, B., Becker, G. 1998. Vascular Intervention: a clinical Approach. Thieme. Rhoades, R., Bell, D. 2008. Medical Physiology: Principles for Clinical Medicine. Wolters Kluwer Health. Sicar, S. 2008. Principles of Medical Physiology. Thieme. Read More