Editorial on “Complications after esophagectomy are associated with extremes of body mass index”

There is overwhelming evidence that obesity has become a public health epidemic, with more than one third of American adults classified as obese (1). While many have demonstrated that obesity is a risk factor for a variety of disease processes, including hypertension, diabetes mellitus, obstructive sleep apnea, and cardiovascular disease, there is increasing awareness that obesity may play a role in complications following surgery (2-4).