Effects of gastric bypass on cardiovascular risk and resolution of comorbidities: results at 5 years

Background: bariatric surgery is an effective therapeutic alternative for morbid obesity as it achieves significant weight loss, maintained over time, as well as the resolution of comorbidities and a decreased cardiovascular risk. Material and methods: a retrospective study that included all patients consecutively undergoing laparoscopic gastric bypass in our center for 10 years, in which weight loss, comorbidities, and cardiovascular risk factors were studied prior to surgery and at the end of follow-up. Results: 303 patients, 221 women and 82 men, with a mean age of 42.3 +/- 10.0 years and BMI of 48.2 +/- 6.0 kg/m(2) were included. Of these, 96.7 % were followed for 5.7 +/- 2.6 years on average. The resolution of comorbidities at the end of follow-up included: 53.4 % for high blood pressure, 70.2 % for diabetes mellitus type 2, 83.9 % for dyslipemia, and 71.4 % for apnea-hypopnea sleep syndrome. The cardiovascular risk estimated by the REGICOR algorithm before and at the end of follow-up was 3.2 +/- 2.6 and 2.2 +/- 1.7, respectively, with a decrease by 32.2 %, like all the parameters included in its calculation except for HDL-cholesterol levels, which did not experience significant variations. The Gastric body mass index and percentage of overweight lost at 2 years and at the end of the follow-up was 30.7 +/- 5.2 kg/m(2) vs. 33.0 +/- 6.1 kg/m(2) and 66.4 +/- 17.1 % vs. 57.9 +/- 19.5 %, respectively. Conclusion: gastric bypass is an effective method for the resolution of comorbidities and reduction of cardiovascular risk, but it is very important to monitor as many patients as possible, and to report on the long-term results, to determine the real effectiveness of these procedures.