According to a new study from Kaiser Permanente published in Annals of Surgery shows that the impact of bariatric surgery risk factors depends on various factors including pre-surgery body mass index, ethnicity, patient’s sex and the type of weight loss surgery performed. This study examined nearly 4,000 Kaiser Permanente patients’ electronic health records from 2009 to 2011. The researchers determined that a group of specific health medical conditions do increase those patients’ risk of stroke, Type II Diabetes and Coronary Artery Disease. These patients were studied for up to two years after surgery to determine if their metabolism syndrome improved at all or completely.
According to the American Heart Association, approximately 35% of Americans are affected by some type of metabolic syndrome. Those with this infliction have a doubled risk of stroke or heart attack and a five-fold risk of developing diabetes in their lifetime.
About the Study
Researchers found that Hispanic and non-Hispanic black patients were less likely than their non-Hispanic white counterparts to experience any metabolism syndrome remission. This is not because of greater weight loss however, but more directly related to racial and ethnic differences. The researchers found across the board that the heavier a patient was per surgery, the less likely they were to reduce their cardiovascular disease risk factors after having bariatric surgery.
The study also found that gastric sleeve patients were less likely to experience any metabolic syndrome remission then those that endured gastric bypass. They also found that women were more likely to experience remission.
In terms of studies, this one had one of the largest sizes for bariatric surgery procedure than ever before. The study looked at weight, quality of life, blood pressure levels as well as pharmacy and laboratory data from patients studied. Previous studies in this area had only 50-200 patients, most of whom were non-Hispanic white. This study looked closer at the different between ethnic/race groups in terms of post-operative results related to weight loss surgery.
Ultimately, this study allows medical professional to study the effect of different types of bariatric surgery on metabolism syndrome in different races and ethnicities. It also is one of the largest studies that look at the fast-growing surgical procedure, gastric sleeve. It also shows the need for new post-operative care models to be devised in order to address the unique challenges that different ethnic groups and genders bring to the world of bariatric surgery.
This study is closely related to another Kaiser Permanente one that looked at obesity and obesity-related conditions on a patient’s health. This study found that nearly half of adults with Type II Diabetes have chronic or acute pain and nearly a quarter of those patients also experience sleep disturbances, physical or emotional disabilities, fatigue, depression or neuropathy.