40-year follow up shows significant reduction in mortality after bariatric surgery: Study

A new retrospective study with up to 40 years of follow up shows significant reductions in death rates from all causes and cause-specific conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer in patients who have undergone bariatric surgery compared to non-surgical participants with severe obesity, according to a new study in Obesity journal.

Patients who had undergone bariatric surgery in Utah between 1982 and 2018 were identified from three, large bariatric surgical practices in Salt Lake City, Utah, and from medical records from the University of Utah and Intermountain Healthcare Enterprise Data Warehouses in Salt Lake City. Non-surgical participants were selected from Utah driver license records or ID cards.

Nearly 22,000 participants with bariatric surgery and without were matched (1:1) for age, sex, body mass index and surgery date with a driver license/renewal date. Results revealed that all-cause mortality was 16% lower in patients who had bariatric surgery compared to non-surgical participants. Lower mortality was observed for both males and females. Mortality after surgery versus non-surgery decreased by 29%, 43% and 72% for cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes, respectively. Death rates for males and females from chronic liver disease were 83% higher in patients who had surgery compared to non-surgical participants. The hazard ratio for suicide was 2.4 times higher in surgery compared with non-surgery participants, primarily in individuals with ages at surgery between 18 and 34 years.

Reference:

Ted D. Adams et al,JOURNAL Obesity