Aim: We compared the anthropometric and metabolic parameters before and after six months of bariatric surgery (BS) between a group of patients aged ≥65 and <65 years old (y/o) with or without comorbidities.
Materials and Methods: We did a prospective study with patients who had undergone BS and followed them for six months from July, 2015 to May, 2018 at Milstein hospital, Argentina and divided them into two cohorts: older and younger than 65 y/o. Outcomes were compared (lost weight [LW], excess weight loss percentage [EWLP], BMI, A1c hemoglobin [HbA1c], HDL, Triglycerides [Tg] and Tg/HDL ratio) and we considered a p <0.05 as statistically significant.
Results: We included 36 patients, 15 were ≥65 y/o and 21 <65 y/o. There were more patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) in the oldest group. We found no statistical difference between groups in WL and the EWLP but observed a statistical rise in the levels of HDL (43, RIQ 95% CI: 39-48 vs. 51, RIQ 95% CI: 44-55, p=0.026) and the decrease of the Tg/HDL ratio (1.6 RIQ 95% CI: 1.4-2.1 vs. 3.1 RIQ 95% CI: 2.2-4.6, p=0.02) in the group of ≥65 y/o. The HbA1c levels were significantly higher in the > 65 y/o with DM2 and the decrease was statistically greater after the follow-up. When we compared initial treatment for DM2 after 3 and 6 months of BS, there was a statistically significant decrease in the use of oral antidiabetic drugs and insulin (chi2= 19%, p=0.004 at 3 months, chi2: 27%, p<0.001 at 6 months after surgery). If we analyzed this result by age, there was no difference between both cohorts (chi2=3.73, p=0.15 and chi2=1.46, p=0.4 at 3 and 6 months after surgery respectively).
Conclusion: We found a significant benefit in metabolic effects of BS in the ≥65 y/o cohort, especially by decreasing insulin resistance, even in those patients without diagnosis of DM2. We need more studies and a greater sample size to generalize these results.
C. Musso: None. F.A. Di Fermo Gomez: None. J. Rosenfarb: None. L. Bosio: None. J. Santamaria: None. M. Hansen: None. C. Gimenez: None. A.G. Errasti: None. D. Caruso: Other Relationship; Self; Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation. M.C. Faingold: None.