title: Racial disparity in short-term outcomes after gastric bypass surgery.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Roux-en-Y gastric bypass procedure is the most frequently performed bariatric surgery for the extremely obese in USA. However, the information about the effects of racial/ethnic differences, comorbidities, and medication use on weight loss outcomes is limited. The objectives of this study were to investigate if race/ethnicity, comorbidities, and medication use affect weight loss effectiveness after the surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a retrospective observational study conducted at one teaching hospital at Houston metropolitan area, TX, USA. Patients between 18 and 64 years, with body mass index (BMI) of ≥ 40 or BMI of ≥ 35 with comorbidities, who had completed medical evaluations/consultations and met insurance policy requirements, were included in the study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  From a total of 40 patients in the study (40 % African Americans, 35 % Caucasians, 17.5 % Hispanics, 7.5 % others), the weight loss was significantly greater in Caucasian patients at 6 months after the surgery, with mean percentage excess weight loss (%EWL) of 40.6 ± 17.3, as compared to all other racial groups combined at %EWL of 30.9 ± 11.5 (p value 0.04). No association was found between the 6-month weight loss and other variables including age, gender, BMI prior to surgery, comorbidities, and total number of medications taken before the surgery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study found that Caucasian patients had a significantly greater %EWL at 6 months post-op as compared to their African-American and Hispanic counterparts. No other variables exhibited significant impact on the weight loss. Further studies with a larger sample size are needed to confirm the results from this study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Texas Southern University, 2450 Holcombe Blvd., Suite 2-25G, Houston, TX, 77021, USA, cheunglk@tsu.edu.
authors.forename: Lily K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Cheung
authors.forename: Lincy S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Lal
authors.forename: Diana S-L
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Chow
authors.forename: Vadim
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sherman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D015390:Gastric Bypass; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009767:Obesity, Morbid / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000601:surgery; D063868:Patient Outcome Assessment; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D015431:Weight Loss / Q000208:ethnology; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*