Symptoms Prevalent Following Bariatric Surgery

A new study reveals that the prevalence of symptoms such as abdominal pain and fatigue are high after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery, with nearly one-third of patients admitted to hospital.

Researchers at Aarhus University Hospital (Denmark) surveyed 2,238 patients who underwent RYGB surgery between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2011, in the central Denmark region to examine overall well-being and the prevalence and predictors of medical, nutritional, and surgical symptoms after RYGB surgery, and their association with quality of life. The 1,429 (63.7%) patients who responded to the survey were compared to a control cohort of 89 individuals matched according to sex and body mass index (BMI), but who did not undergo RYGB surgery.

The results showed that 87.4% of the patients reported that their well-being was improved following surgery, with 88.6% reporting symptoms; 67.6% of the patients contacted the health care system about their symptoms, and 29.1% were hospitalized. The symptoms most commonly reported were abdominal pain (34%), fatigue (34%), anemia (28%), and gallstones (16%). Risk of symptoms was higher among women, patients younger than 35 years, smokers, the unemployed, and in those with surgical symptoms before RYGB surgery. The study was published online on January 6, 2016, in JAMA Surgery.

“Most patients reported improved well-being after RYGB surgery, but the prevalence of symptoms was high and nearly one-third of patients were hospitalized, 4- to 5-fold more than among the comparison group,” concluded lead author Sigrid Bjerge Gribsholt, MD, and colleagues. “Predictors of symptoms included young age, female sex, smoking, and experiencing symptoms before RYGB surgery. Development of weight loss procedures with fewer subsequent symptoms should be a high priority.”

For patients with morbid obesity, bariatric surgery (including RYGB surgery) is an effective treatment for weight loss and associated diseases. Various medical, nutritional, and surgical symptoms that require treatment may occur after RYGB surgery and may impair patients' quality of life.

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Aarhus University Hospital