Adults who underwent weight loss surgery between 2004 and 2017 had a reduced risk for severe outcomes<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
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WEDNESDAY, Dec. 29, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Individuals with obesity who have undergone weight loss surgery have a reduced risk for severe COVID-19 outcomes, according to a study published online Dec. 29 in JAMA Surgery<\/em>.<\/p>\n Ali Aminian, M.D., from the Cleveland Clinic, and colleagues examined the association between a successful weight loss intervention and improved risk and severity of COVID-19 infection among adults with a body mass index of 35 kg\/m2<\/sup> or higher. Participants underwent weight loss surgery between Jan. 1, 2004, and Dec. 31, 2017. Participants were matched 1:3 to a control group who did not have surgical intervention for obesity. A total of 20,212 participants were included; COVID-19 outcomes were available for 11,809.<\/p>\n Compared with control patients, those in the surgical group lost more weight before the COVID-19 outbreak (mean difference at 10 years from baseline, 18.6 percent) and had a lower 10-year cumulative incidence of all-cause non-COVID-19 mortality (4.7 versus 9.4 percent). The researchers found that the surgical and control groups had comparable rates of positive severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 test results (9.1 versus 8.7 percent). The risks for hospitalization, need for supplemental oxygen, and severe COVID-19 infection were lower in association with undergoing weight loss surgery (adjusted hazard ratios, 0.51, 0.37, and 0.40, respectively).<\/p>\n “Metabolic surgery has been shown to effectively treat obesity and many comorbid diseases, resulting in improved health, quality of life, and long-term survival,” write the authors of an accompanying editorial. “COVID-19 should now be added to the long list of obesity comorbidities that can be mitigated by metabolic surgery.”<\/p>\n Several authors disclosed financial ties to pharmaceutical and medical technology companies, including Medtronic, which funded the study.<\/p>\n Abstract\/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n <\/i><\/p>\n