Publicly Funded Bariatric Surgery Tied to Improved Health Outcomes

THURSDAY, March 23, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Publicly funded bariatric surgery is associated with improvements in obesity, type 2 diabetes, and related comorbidities, according to a study published online Feb. 24 in PLOS ONE.

Trisha O’Moore-Sullivan, from Mater Health in Brisbane, Australia, and colleagues evaluated the clinical and patient-reported outcomes of patients treated through the Bariatric Surgery Initiative. The analysis included 212 patients with type 2 diabetes and morbid obesity undergoing Roux-en-Y gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy through a publicly funded initiative.

The researchers found that following surgery, patients' average body weight decreased by 23.6 percent, while average hemoglobin A1c improved by 24.4 percent. Nearly half of patients (48.8 percent) were able to discontinue diabetes-related treatment. There were decreases observed in the incidence of hypertension (37.1 percent), nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (66.4 percent), and renal impairment (62.3 percent). There were improvements seen in patients' emotional eating scores (32.5 percent), uncontrolled eating (20.7 percent), and cognitive restraint (6.9 percent). Throughout the recovery period, quality of life increased by 18.8 percent and patients' overall satisfaction with the treatment remained above 97.5 percent.

"This study confirmed previous work demonstrating the efficacy of publicly funded bariatric surgery in treating obesity, type 2 diabetes, and related comorbidities, and improving patients' quality of life and eating behavior,” the authors write. "Despite the short follow-up period, the results bode well for future weight maintenance in this cohort."

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