Assessing postsurgery body mass index reduction and identifying factors associated with greater body mass index reduction in a sample of obese patients who underwent weight-loss surgery in Saudi Arabia

Background: Although evidence exists that bariatric surgery can provide substantial weight loss and body mass index (BMI) reduction. However, there is a limited data about this topic among the Saudi population. The purpose of this study was to assess postsurgery BMI and identify factors associated with greater BMI reduction. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted of 318 obese patients who underwent laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) or Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) at King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in the period between January 1, 2001 and March 31, 2017. The outcome assessed was a reduction in BMI within 12 months after surgery, and a reduction of ≥20, indicating a greater BMI loss. Results: Patients with BMI value >40 had markedly decreased from 81.5% at the baseline to 25.6% at 12 months. Greater BMI loss occurred in 12.03% of the patients. Mixed-model and Tukey multiple comparison tests show a great decrease in BMI over time, but no significant differences in BMI between surgery types: LSG and RYGB. According to bivariate logistic analysis, greater BMI reduction was noted in the male gender (odds ratio [OR] = 2.493, P = 0.017) and patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) (OR = 3.130, P = 0.029). A multivariate logistic analysis showed that young age (adjusted OR = 3.755, P = 0.028) and OSA (adjusted OR = 5.034, P = 0.023) were associated with a greater BMI reduction at 12-month postsurgery. Conclusions: The study has shown that bariatric surgery led to a significant reduction in BMI, which may result in resolving a number of obesity-related comorbidities. Being young and OSA were associated with significant reduction. The procedure types, RYGB and LSG, yielded similar reduction in BMI. It is important to evaluate baseline data as it may influence BMI reduction and aid management.