Differences in Health-Related Quality of Life After Gastric Bypass Surgery: a Cross-Sectional Study

Background Gastric bypass (GBP) is a surgical method with good evidence of sustainable weight loss, reduced obesity-related comorbidities, and improved health-related quality of life (HRQoL). However, long-term data post-GBP is scarce on HRQoL related to other factors than weight loss, such as impact of socio-economic, age, and gender. Aim To investigate long-term HRQoL in GBP patients. Methods The study was conducted as a cross-sectional study covering 3 to 9 years post-GBP measuring HRQoL using RAND-36. Association to weight loss, time since surgery, gender, educational level, occupation, and age was analyzed. The participants were included on the basis that they had received a GBP that was performed by Region Skane, the southernmost administrative healthcare region in Sweden. Recruitment to the study was by mail invitation for an online survey. Results Of the total population of 5310 persons receiving the questionnaire, 1339 of the 1372 responders fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Those with low educational level, unemployed, persons on sick leave or disability support, and those with less weight loss reported the lowest HRQoL. The longer time since surgery, the lower the HRQoL. Conclusion Less weight loss, longer time since GBP, lower educational level, and lower degree of employment all affect HRQoL negatively after GBP surgery.