title: Quality of life after gastric banding in morbidly obese Dutch patients: Long-term follow-up.
abstract: CONCLUSIONS
  
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Long-term effects of adjustable gastric banding (AGB) on quality of life (QoL) in a morbidly obese population were investigated in a cross-sectional study. Additionally, determinants of QoL after AGB were assessed.
  
  
  METHODS
  All patients treated by AGB for morbid obesity in a Dutch hospital were invited to complete the RAND 36-Item Health Survey. Of 121 participating patients 59 met the criteria for long-term follow-up (>5 years): 4 male and 55 female, mean age 42.4 ± 9.7 years, mean body mass index (BMI) before surgery 44.9 ± 5.9 kg/m(2). Time since surgery was 74.7 months (range 60-107.6). The control group consisted of 28 presurgical patients. General and obesity-related parameters were assessed for correlation with QoL.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant differences between the preoperative group and Dutch community norm (CN) values were found on five out of eight QoL subscales, in favor of CN. AGB induced significant weight loss in the postoperative group: 56.1% excess weight loss (%EWL). This group scored significantly better than the preoperative group on one out of eight subscales: physical functioning (P = 0.019). Additionally, scores on four out of eight subscales were still significantly impaired compared to CN. Postoperative BMI and %EWL influenced QoL after long-term follow-up, whereas weight regain had no negative impact.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study shows that after long-term follow-up subjects treated by gastric banding to induce weight loss have a slightly better QoL than those who did not undergo surgery yet. QoL remains impaired in comparison to the general population. After long-term follow-up BMI and weight loss do influence QoL whereas weight regain does not have any negative impact.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Albert Schweitzer Hospital, P.O. Box 444, 3300 AK Dordrecht, The Netherlands. Electronic address:r.kiewiet@erasmusmc.nl.
authors.forename: Rosalie M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Kiewiet
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Albert Schweitzer Hospital, P.O. Box 444, 3300 AK Dordrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Marc F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Durian
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Albert Schweitzer Hospital, P.O. Box 444, 3300 AK Dordrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Luc P L H
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Cuijpers
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Albert Schweitzer Hospital, P.O. Box 444, 3300 AK Dordrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Fried L E M
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Hesp
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Albert Schweitzer Hospital, P.O. Box 444, 3300 AK Dordrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Adrie C M
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: van Vliet