Bariatric Surgery tied to significant decrease in prevalence of rheumatic diseases including osteoarthritis: Study

The meta-analysis comprised 28 studies with data from 43,421 patients, of whom 13,347 had rheumatic diseases. Studies were sourced from PubMed, Cochrane, and Embase databases and focused on the prevalence of rheumatic conditions, WOMAC scores, and medication usage post-MBS. Statistical analyses included odds ratios (OR) and mean differences (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results with p-values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant.

Key Findings

• Prevalence of OA, RA, and psoriatic arthritis were significantly lower at the post-MBS stages compared to baseline. The difference in odds ratios was 0.20 (95% CI 0.12 to 0.33; p= 0.01).

For the OA patients, there were observed WOMAC indices reduction:

• WOMAC 6 months after MBS MD: -20.60 points (95% CI, -28.73 to -12.47; p< 0.01).

• WOMAC 12 months after MBS MD: -15.88 points (95% CI, -19.09 to -12.66; p< 0.01).

Medication use declined substantially after MBS:

• More than 2 years after MBS: OR 0.49 (95% CI 0.35 to 0.69; p< 0.01).

• Up to 2 years after MBS: OR 0.32 (95% CI 0.15 to 0.69; p< 0.01).

This meta-analysis demonstrated that MBS significantly reduces the prevalence of rheumatic diseases, improves joint function as measured by the WOMAC index, and decreases medication use among affected patients. These findings reinforce the value of MBS as a transformative intervention for managing obesity and associated rheumatic conditions. Future research should focus on the underlying mechanisms and long-term sustainability of these benefits.

Reference:

de Souza K, Defante MLR, Franco MDS, Mendes BX, Monteiro SON, Castro GC, Tavares JG, Tavares DG. Rheumatic Diseases Following Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Obes Surg. 2025 Jan 2. doi: 10.1007/s11695-024-07652-0. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39743656.