Weight loss, adverse events, and loss to follow-up after gastric bypass in young versus older adults: A Scandinavian Obesity Surgery Registry study

Abstract

Background: Young adults display particularly poor weight loss in behavioral obesity treatment; nonetheless, they have seldom been included in bariatric research. Objectives: To compare weight loss, adverse events, and loss to follow-up in young (18–25 yr) versus older (≥26 yr) adults up to 5 years after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. Setting: Nationwide, register-based study, Sweden. Methods: Prospective registry data (Scandinavian Obesity Surgery Register) were analyzed in young (22.2 yr [standard deviation (SD): 2.1], 81.6% women, mean body mass index 43.7 kg/m2 [SD: 5.4]) and older (42.6 years [SD: 9.6], 82.0% women, mean body mass index 43.4 kg/m2 [SD: 5.0]) adults undergoing Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. Groups were matched for body mass index, sex, and year of surgery. Regression analyses and mixed models were used to compare outcomes between groups. Results: A total of 369 young (37.0% of eligible) and 2210 older (46.1%) adults attended the 5-year follow-up. At this time, weight loss was 31.8% in young and 28.2% in older adults (P