Bariatric surgery in severely obese teens cuts risk of premature heart disease
New research suggests severely obese teenagers who receive bariatric surgery for weight loss can cut their risk of having a heart disease-related event in half. Findings were presented at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology and Prevention | Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health Scientific Sessions 2018 on March 23 in New Orleans.
“This study clearly shows that the benefits of bariatric surgery to treat severe obesity, at least from a cardiovascular event perspective, outweighs the risk of having the surgery,” said Justin Ryder, PhD, University of Minnesota Medical Center in Minneapolis, and colleagues. “Teens with severe obesity are at high risk for having a premature cardiovascular event, such as a heart attack, stroke, heart failure and others by the time they are 50, which has significant implications in terms of their healthcare costs and their quality of life.”
Though past studies show the impact bariatric surgery has on CVD risk factors in adults, there is little research on how early bariatric surgery impacts CVD risk factors in teenagers.
Researchers used a prediction model to gauge the likelihood of heart disease events over a 30-year period. The study cohort included 215 participants from the Teen-Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (Teen-LABS) trial.
Prior to bariatric surgery, the risk of a severely obese teenager exhibiting a fatal or non-fatal heart disease-related event over a 30-year period was 8 percent.
The cohort had an average age of 17 and a body mass index of 53. Researchers gathered data on gender, age, blood pressure and subsequent treatment, smoking habits, diabetes, cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and weight. This data was collected and analyzed before surgery and annually for five years after surgery.
A year after surgery, the model predicted the risk for a heart disease-related event, including heart attack, stroke, or heart failure, was cut in half and was maintained every year for up to five years post-surgery.
“These findings add another piece to the mountain of evidence suggesting that bariatric surgery is the most effective treatment for sustained reduction of weight and risk factors for chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes in teens with severe obesity,” Ryder said.
As a senior news writer for TriMed, Subrata covers cardiology, clinical innovation and healthcare business. She has a master’s degree in communication management and 12 years of experience in journalism and public relations.