Mum of two Elaine-Sarah Comerford is one of a number of people with intestinal failure whose lives are at an increased risk because of a lack of specialist care.

The HSE can recoup the cost of bariatric surgery within two years and then go on to save millions on medication costs, according to obesity experts.

THE process of achieving weight loss by reducing the size of the stomach with a gastric band or through removal of a portion of the stomach may seem almost barbaric but for some overweight individuals it is the only realistic option to give them the chance of a healthy future.

A swallowable balloon can lead to a dramatic weight loss over months but is only a temporary solution for obese patients, a medical expert warns. 

A national obesity treatment strategy could save the State at least €56m over a decade, medical experts believe.

Obese patients in danger of developing diabetes reduced their risk by almost 80% under a treatment regime involving diet, exercise, and a drug — compared to those on a diet and exercise programme alone, a study has found.

Surgery should be used more widely in Ireland to cure diabetes and reverse the harmful effects of the disease, a medical expert has claimed.

One in four patients suffer from malnutrition, and next year, a hospital screening programme is to begin identifying them.

The problem of under-nourished patients in Dublin hospitals is being ignored, according to the Irish Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism.