Bariatric surgery may reduce heart failure risk

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-11/aha-bsm110316.php

Public Release: 14-Nov-2016
Bariatric surgery may reduce heart failure risk
American Heart Association Meeting Report - Poster: M2019 - Session: LF.APS.P138
American Heart Association

Bariatric surgery and other treatments that cause substantial weight loss can significantly reduce the risk of heart failure in obese patients, according to preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2016.

Researchers compared 25,804 bariatric surgery patients in a Scandinavian obesity surgery registry to 13,701 Swedish nationwide registry patients who used an intensive structured lifestyle-modification program. Both groups had no history of heart failure before starting treatment and body mass indices greater than 30 and weighed on average 119 kilograms/262.35 pounds before treatment.

They found:

4 years after start of treatment, the risk of heart failure was nearly 50 percent lower in the bariatric surgery group.

The rate of death and heart attack was similar between the treatment groups.

However, patients in the bariatric surgery group had fewer incidences of atrial fibrillation, diabetes and hypertension.

The bariatric surgery group lost more weight than those in the intensive lifestyle modification program. Obesity surgery led to 18.8 kilograms/41.44 pounds more weight loss than lifestyle treatment after one year, and 22.6 kilograms/49.82 pounds more weight loss after two years.

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