Bariatric surgery is indicated for which BMI criteria?

• A. BMI >40, or BMI >35 with significant comorbidities
• B. BMI >30
• C. BMI >25 with hypertension
• D. BMI >50 with no comorbidity

Answer: (A)

Bariatric surgery is considered when obesity is severe enough that the potential benefits outweigh risks, using BMI with obesity-related health problems to guide who’s a candidate. The standard indications are a BMI of 40 kg/m^2 or a BMI of 35 kg/m^2 with significant obesity-related comorbidity (like diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, or dyslipidemia). This threshold ensures that those at highest health risk due to obesity are prioritized for surgical weight loss.

Why this is the best fit: it matches guideline-based criteria that balance severity of obesity with health impact, identifying patients most likely to benefit from substantial weight loss surgery. Other options set lower BMI cutoffs or tie a high BMI to conditions (or lack thereof) in ways that don’t align with common indications, so they aren’t the standard criteria used in practice.