Bariatric surgery is usually recommended to overweight and obese people who are having trouble losing weight. The surgery involves reducing the size of the stomach through stomach stapling or gastric bypass to increase the speed of weight loss.
Studies have estimated that there is one percent risk of death due to bariatric surgery while 40% of patients have complications. Most patients who undergo bariatric surgery are often already having health problems such as diabetes and heart disease in addition to being overweight. As a result, their chances of dying due to natural causes are also higher.
Dr. Lewis H. Kuller and colleagues from the University of Pittsburgh examined data for all Pennsylvania residents who underwent a bariatric operation between 1995 and 2004. The researchers gathered details about all deaths that took place in this population and compared these with deaths in the general population.
There were 440 deaths in the 16,683 people who underwent weight loss procedures during the study period. Death rate was higher among men than women. People at advanced age too were found to be more prone to dying than younger people. Overall, death rate was much higher in patients who had undergone bariatric surgery than in the general population.
Difference in death rates was particularly striking in people between the ages of 25 and 34. There were 13.8 and 5.0 deaths per 1000 persons for male and female patients respectively in this age group. On the other hand, the general population in the same age group recorded death rates of just 1.3 and 0.6 persons per year among men and women respectively.
The researchers found coronary heart disease to be the most common cause of death. They also recorded 16 suicides, 10 of which were women. In comparison, the estimated number of suicides in the general population was just three.
According to the researchers, it might be possible to cut down deaths after bariatric surgery through better control of high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, and smoking, ??as well as efforts to prevent weight regain by diet and exercise, and psychological support to treat depression and prevent suicide.?