To Örebro University

BACKGROUND: Obesity continues to increase in the world. It is strongly associated with morbidity, mortality, and decrease of health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Surgery is the most effective treatment for obesity, resulting in sustained weight loss and improvements of HRQoL. The aim of this study was to examine whether other factors, apart from weight loss, are associated with improvement in HRQoL scores between the preoperative visit and the 5-year follow-up.

OBJECTIVES: To examine whether there are factors besides weight loss that affect the improvement of HRQoL from before to 5 years after gastric bypass surgery.

SETTING: Large, nationwide, observational study with national quality and research registry.

METHODS: Patients operated with a primary gastric bypass in Sweden between January 2008 and December 2012 were identified in the Scandinavian Obesity Surgery Register. Patients with HRQoL data available at both baseline and 5 years after surgery were included. Two HRQoL instruments, the RAND Short form-36 and the obesity-related problems scale, were used in the study.

RESULTS: The study sample comprised 6998 patients (21% men). Differences in HRQoL change according to sex were minor. Younger patients showed greater improvements in physical health scales. In general linear regression model analyses, age and weight loss correlated significantly with improvement in HRQoL after 5 years. Patients treated medically for depression preoperatively (13%) experienced less improvement in HRQoL than patients without such treatment. Patients with postoperative complications (26%) had significantly less improvements in all aspects of HRQoL compared with those without any form of postoperative complication.

CONCLUSION: The study confirmed the importance of weight loss for improvement in HRQoL after bariatric surgery. Preoperative medication for depression and suffering a complication during the 5-year follow-up period were associated with less improvement in HRQoL.