Gastric Bypass Surgery Led to Rare Genetic Disorder

Gastric bypass surgery can be life-saving for many people who are severely obese, but it also has many risks that can potentially be life-threatening.

Hilary Lane weighed more than 300 pounds when she underwent gastric bypass surgery. While the surgery seemed to be a success and she began to drastically lose weight, the weight never stopped coming off. Doctors eventually discovered that she had developed a genetic mutation called urea cycle failure - a condition that is most common in children - that took over her metabolism and prevented her body from processing proteins, according to USA Today.

Lane passed away in April weighing only 88 pounds.

Each year, nearly 220,000 Americans undergo gastric bypass. The procedure does not solely restrict the size of a person’s stomach, but also alters the way the digestive tract absorbs food.

Little data exists about cases where gastric bypass surgeries can lead to genetic mutations. Furthermore, testing for the mutations is difficult because more than 300 mutations have been associated with the disorder.

If you or a loved one has been harmed by an unsafe medical procedure, contact Sokolove Law for a free legal consultation and to find out if you have grounds to pursue legal action. Call us today at (800)-561-7154.

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