The Relationship between Metabolic Comorbidities and Post-Surgical Weight Loss Outcomes in Adolescents Undergoing Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy

Abstract

Introduction: Little is known about the relationship between metabolic factors and weight loss success in adolescents undergoing bariatric surgery. Methods: The objective of this study was to assess if baseline metabolic characteristics associate with weight loss in adolescents undergoing laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. A retrospective study was conducted in a comprehensive adolescent bariatric surgery center of 151 subjects (34 male, 117 female). Anthropometric measurements and metabolic factors including blood pressure, fasting glucose, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), metabolic syndrome (MeS), liver function, triglycerides, and waist circumference were collected at one pre-surgical visit and at 6- and/or 12-month post-laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. Weight loss was compared between subjects with normal or abnormal baseline metabolic factors. Absolute BMI change was used to measure successful weight loss. Results: Higher baseline systolic blood pressure (SBP) was associated with greater weight loss as measured by body mass index (BMI) change and BMI standard deviation score (BMI-SDS) change at 6 and 12 months. Those patients in the 6-month follow-up group with an abnormal HbA1c at baseline had significantly more weight loss as measured by BMI-SDS. None of the other parameters, including fasting glucose, MeS, liver function, triglycerides, and waist circumference showed a predictive relationship. Conclusion: Elevated SBP and HbA1c in adolescents with morbid obesity may reflect a population more likely to achieve successful weight loss and, thus, may be a good target for bariatric surgery, specifically laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, as an intervention for severe obesity. An assessment of behavioral differences in patients with and without elevated BP and HbA1c might explain the mechanism for the improved weight loss.