What can be the long-term consequences of a gastric balloon?
The costs for the insertion of a stomach balloon vary a lot and therefore it makes sense to first compare the different offers and then choose a clinic. There are even price comparisons on the Internet. The price can also vary depending on the risk of the procedure (severe overweight, other pre-existing conditions).
On average, a stomach balloon including insertion and removal costs between 1500 € and 4000 €. As a rule, the costs for the intragastric balloon are not covered by the cash register. In most cases it is also possible to pay the costs of the procedure in installments.
As a rule, the health insurance does not cover the costs for the insertion of a gastric balloon. Only in individual cases will the health insurance company reimburse the costs partially or even completely. This is possible, for example, if the risks of an overweight patient (BMI over 40) are too high for a surgical procedure to reduce weight.
What are the alternatives to a stomach balloon?
The most important alternative to surgery, such as the insertion of a gastric balloon, is a long-term change in diet and physical activity. Only through these measures can a healthy and lasting weight reduction be achieved. However, this also applies when a gastric balloon is inserted.
This measure can also only be used as a supporting measure. Without a change in diet and physical activity, the measure is not useful. Other alternatives to the intragastric balloon are surgical measures that reduce food intake.
Examples of these so-called bariatric procedures are a gastric band that is placed around the stomach to reduce its capacity and a gastric bypass. However, such measures only come into question when all attempts to reduce weight naturally have failed in a severely overweight person and there is a risk to health if no intervention is performed. A prerequisite for this is that the patient is motivated to change his or her lifestyle. For further alternatives of weight reduction we recommend our page about: Stomach reduction For further alternatives of weight reduction we recommend our page about: Stomach reduction
All articles in this series:
