Hospital stays of obese patients jumped by 112 percent between 1996 and 2004, rising from 797,000 to 1.7 million, according to a report by the Department of Health and Human Services' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

The report found that 126,000 hospital stays were of patients admitted for gastric bypass or other weight-loss surgery, according to a United Press International article. More than half were 18 to 44 years old, and the remaining patients were primarily ages 45 to 64. Women accounted for about 82 percent of all patients admitted for treatment of obesity.

Those admitted for other diseases accounted for the roughly 1.6 million other hospital stays. The greatest proportion, 7 percent, was for hardening of the arteries. Other leading conditions included congestive heart failure, osteoarthritis, skin infections, depression, diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder.

You can see more of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's findings in this program brief.

-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com