Background: The increasing prevalence of US morbid obesity is associated with serious health consequences and high medical costs, particularly among ethnic minority groups. Little information is available on the long-term weight and chronic disease risk reduction effectiveness of bariatric surgery among Hispanics.
Methods: A retrospective medical chart analysis of 633 Hispanic adults (76% female, mean age at surgery 41.3 years) from Central and South America and the Caribbean who underwent gastric bypass surgery from 2002 to 2010 was conducted. A presurgery and 1-year postsurgery comparative means analysis of weight, body mass index (BMI), and cardiometabolic disease risk factors [systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), total cholesterol (TC), and triglycerides (TGs) was performed.
Results: Mean weight (127-109 kg) and BMI (46.4-39.9 kg/m(2)) significantly decreased and all cardiometabolic disease risk factors improved from before to 1 year after surgery. Males were significantly more likely than females to show postsurgery improvement in weight (-21.7 kg versus -16.9 kg, P<0.0001), HbA1c (-1.1% versus -0.7%, P=0.02), HDL (3.2 mg/dL versus -0.6 mg/dL, P=0.04), and TGs (-97.2 mg/dL versus -54.5 mg/dL, P=0.006) versus females. Conversely, women were significantly more likely than men to have postsurgery improvements in LDL (-24.5 mg/dL versus -12.7 mg/dL, P=0.04).
Conclusions: Gastric bypass surgery results in significant weight loss and cardiometabolic disease risk reduction among Hispanic adults 1 year after surgery. These improvements vary by gender. Gastric bypass surgery is an effective treatment option for weight loss and chronic disease risk improvements in Hispanic adults who are not Mexican American.