12 Aug Factors Identifying Risk of Poor Weight Loss After Bariatric Surgery Identified
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr. Michelle Lent
Dr. Michelle R. Lent, PhD
Geisinger Obesity Institute
Geisinger Clinic
Danville, Pennsylvania
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: More than one-third of adults in the United States live with obesity. Currently, the most effective treatment for obesity is bariatric surgery. Bariatric surgery patients are expected to lose 30 to 40 percent of their body weight, but not all patients are able to lose this amount of weight and others experience weight regain. Why some patients succeed in weight loss over time, while others are less successful, remains unclear.
In this study, we evaluated over 200 patient characteristics in relation to long-term weight loss after bariatric surgery (7 years or longer), including gender, age and weight at the time of surgery, lab tests, medical conditions and medications, among others. We found that patients who used insulin, had a history of smoking, or used 12 or more medications before surgery lost the most weight, while patients with high cholesterol, older patients and patients with higher body mass indexes at the time of surgery lost the least amount of weight after surgery.
MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?
Response: These findings can help clinicians to identify patients that may be at risk for poorer weight loss outcomes in the long-term after bariatric surgery. Clinicians can use this information to tailor the treatment of these patients to help maximize their chances of meaningful and sustained weight loss after surgery. For example, perhaps these patients attend extra follow-appointments with their clinicians to more closely monitor their progress.
MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?
Response: In this study, we utilized clinical patient data from the electronic medical record. Future studies could benefit from also including patient-reported data, such as surveys on eating behaviors and physical activity.
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Last Updated on August 12, 2016 by Marie Benz MD FAAD