Nerve Damage May Occur After Weight-Loss Surgery

A new study shows patients can develop potentially disabling neurologic complications after gastric bypass surgery performed to treat morbid obesity.

Researchers from the University of Arkansas for Medical Science (Little Rock, AR, USA) described 26 cases of neurologic problems that occurred in gastric bypass patients. The neurologic complications affected most regions of the nervous system: encephalopathy, optic neuropathy, myelopathy, and others. Myelopathy, or muscular disorder, was the most frequent and disabling problem, with symptoms beginning about a decade after surgery; the spinal cord typically is affected, resulting in falling, extreme coordination and gait problems, and severe spasticity. Except for vitamin B12 and copper deficiencies in patients with myelopathy, the researchers could not correlate specific nutritional deficiencies to the neurologic complications.

While restoring nutritional deficiencies--which included lack of vitamin B12, thiamine, or copper--helped patients, many continued to have symptoms for months, while symptoms remained permanent in some patients. The researchers suggest that steps should be taken to help prevent gastric bypass patients from developing these problems in the first place by advising them to take vitamin and mineral supplements and to avoid severe and rapid weight loss. The study was published in the May 22, 2007 edition of the journal Neurology.

"Many of our patients were not instructed to take vitamin supplements, and postoperative follow-up visits with medical nutritionists were not emphasized,” said lead author Dr. Katalin Juhasz-Pocsine and colleagues.


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University of Arkansas for Medical Science