title: Self-report of gastrointestinal side effects after bariatric surgery.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Data on gastrointestinal (GI) side effects of bariatric surgery are limited because of incomplete reporting, cross-sectional samples, and nonstandardized assessments.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To report on GI side effects over the first 6 months after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB).
  
  
  METHODS
  Academic medical center, United States.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred forty-four patients completed a standardized clinical interview 6 months after operation, including questions on the occurrence and frequency of episodes of dumping syndrome, vomiting, and plugging for each of the past 6 months; monthly rates were stable, so results were averaged over the entire period. Although data were collected as part of a randomized controlled trial, randomization group and the interaction of group by surgical procedure were not related to GI side effects. Thus, results are reported by procedure only (RYGB, n = 87; LAGB, n = 56).
  
  
  RESULTS
  RYGB patients had a higher preoperative body mass index (BMI) than LAGB patients (46.8±6.8 versus 43.5±4.8 kg/m(2), respectively; P = .001), were more likely to report dumping (45.7% versus 4.7%, P<.0001), and were less likely to report plugging (45.7% versus 79.1%, P = .0005). Vomiting did not differ significantly by procedure (68.6% versus 65.1%, P = .7). Most patients experienced each GI side effect less than once per week.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although self-reported GI side effects were common over the first 6 months after operation, the frequency of episodes was relatively low. Longer-term follow-up is needed to determine whether symptoms worsen or improve over time.
authors.affiliation: Duquesne University School of Nursing, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Electronic address: kalarchianm@duq.edu.
authors.forename: Melissa A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Kalarchian
authors.affiliation: Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Marsha D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Marcus
authors.affiliation: Department of Minimally Invasive Bariatric and General Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Anita P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Courcoulas
authors.affiliation: Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Department of Statistics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Michele D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Levine
mesh_terms: D000046:Academic Medical Centers; D000285:Administration, Rectal; D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004377:Dumping Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015390:Gastric Bypass / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods; D015391:Gastroplasty / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009767:Obesity, Morbid / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D011182:Postoperative Care / Q000379:methods; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D018570:Risk Assessment; D057566:Self Report; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014839:Vomiting / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D015431:Weight Loss
keywords: Bariatric surgery; Gastric bypass; Gastrointestinal complications; Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding