title: Efficacy of gastric bypass in the treatment of obesity-related comorbidities.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Obesity is associated with multiple comorbidities, including hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, diabetes mellitus, obstructive sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, back/extremity pain, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), asthma, and depression. Surgical weight loss can markedly improve if not resolve many of these comorbidities.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a retrospective study of 400 consecutive gastric bypass patients, analyzing postoperative resolution or improvement of obesity-related comorbidities.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean follow-up period for these patients was 12.8 months, with a range of 0.3-30.6 months. Comorbidities were present in 21%-65% of the patients. Hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus, obstructive sleep apnea, GERD, and asthma either resolved or improved in 80%-100% of the patients. Arthritis, back or extremity pain, and depression also improved but to a lesser extent, in 52%-73% of patients. Our patients' quality of life greatly improved even at 6 weeks postoperatively in 35% of the patients, and this increased to >80% after 18 months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Gastric bypass surgery for the treatment of morbidly obese patients has a profound positive impact on obesity-related comorbidities. Also, patients' quality of life is dramatically improved in the majority of patients when compared with their preoperative status.
authors.affiliation: Surgical Education, St Elizabeth Health Center, Youngstown, OH 44501-1790, USA.
authors.forename: LeeAnn
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Peluso
authors.forename: Vincent W
authors.initials: VW
authors.lastname: Vanek
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015897:Comorbidity; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D015390:Gastric Bypass; D006801:Humans; D006949:Hyperlipidemias / Q000453:epidemiology; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009767:Obesity, Morbid / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000453:epidemiology; D011788:Quality of Life; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000453:epidemiology; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015431:Weight Loss / Q000502:physiology*