Giorgia Scichilone, Kinesiology and Nutrition: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.
Objectives: Obesity, a growing disease associated with hypertension and type 2 diabetes, is most effectively managed with bariatric surgery, which improves weight and cardiometabolic health. This study analyzes the long-term outcomes of bariatric surgery, including weight loss trends, changes in comorbidities, and ethnicity's impact, in UI Health patients (2018-2023).
Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 341 patients grouped by ethnicity (African American, Hispanic, white, and other), collecting data on preoperative history, type of surgery, comorbidities, vital signs, weight, BMI, and new post-surgery diagnoses. We also monitored follow-up visits and postoperative weight changes. The primary outcome was assessing weight regain, timing, and correlation with changes in cardiometabolic parameters.
Results: In this cohort (89.23% women, 10.77% men), 62.15% were African American, 24.92% Hispanic, and 12.92% White. 80% underwent laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, with 60.49% opting for the robotic version, and 16.92% had robot-assisted RYGB. Preoperative comorbidities included mainly hypertension (HTN) and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Of the 325 patients, 34.26% (112 patients) regained weight within six years, with the highest incidence occurring between the 1st and 2nd years postoperatively (76.78%). Weight regain was more common in women (84.71%) than men (15.29%), especially among African American (60%) and Hispanic (16.47%) patients. Blood pressure improved after surgery only in patients who did not regain weight.
Conclusions: The results show that ethnicity is a determinant of bariatric surgery outcomes, highlighting that African American and Hispanic patients are more susceptible to weight regain than their white counterparts. In addition, weight regain after surgery is negatively affects cardiovascular health, considering the changes in blood pressure in these patients. Further studies are needed to understand the reasons for weight regain and the impact on long-term cardiometabolic health.
Funding Sources: This project was funded by the National Institute of Health grant number R01HL161386 (Principal Investigator AMM).
