Benefits of Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Sustained in the Long Term

WEDNESDAY, June 19, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) is successful in achieving long-term sustained weight loss and diabetes remission, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, held from June 9 to 13 in San Diego.

John Nguyen-Lee, M.D., from the Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pennsylvania, and colleagues examined long-term (>15 year) outcomes for 1,388 patients following RYGB (performed at a single institution from 2001 to 2008). 

Preoperative mean age was 46 years, and body mass index was 47.9 kg/m². The researchers found maximum mean post-RYGB weight loss (31.8 percent) at 18 months after surgery. At 10 to 20 years post-RYGB, mean weight loss stabilized at 23 percent. There were 677 patients with preoperative diabetes; diabetes remission rates were 54 percent at three years, but decreased to 38 percent at 15 years. Preoperative insulin-treated diabetes was associated with a higher rate of persistent diabetes post-RYGB. Following RYGB, the overall 15-year death rate was 13.3 percent, but reached 37.4 percent in patients with diabetes who were older than 60 years.

“With the availability of medical and endoscopic therapies, the demonstration of long-term effectiveness of gastric bypass that exceeds that of these alternatives is critical to providing the right intervention for the right patient at the right time,” coauthor Anthony T. Petrick, M.D., also from the Geisinger Health System, said in a statement.

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