Introduction & Objectives: Post-bariatric surgery patients suffer from weight gain and hypoglycemia. Role of GLP-1 in such patients is not established. We studied the effects of GLP-1 agonists on hypoglycemia, weight and hypoglycemic attitudes and behavior among patients who had bariatric surgery.
Methods: In a cross-sectional study, conducted at a Medical City in Saudi Arabia, adult patients who underwent bariatric surgery and prescribed GLP-1 agonist were included. Data were collected on socio-demographic, medical history, weight, BMI, hypoglycemic episodes, and Hypoglycemic Attitudes and Behavior Scale (HABS). Wilcoxon Ranked Sum, McNemar and test of homogeneity were used to assess the differences before and after the GLP-1.
Results: Out of 21 patients included in the analysis, 33% were male and 48% had diabetes. Vertical sleeve gastrectomy (62%) was the most common procedure. Liraglutide was most common GLP-1 analog used. There was significant reduction in the weight and BMI. In the HABS, except the domain of confidence, other domains remained unchanged post GLP-1. Hypoglycemia episodes per week also showed significant change after GLP-1. Symptoms of hypoglycemia did not change significantly. (Table 1)
Conclusions: In this study, use of GLP-1 was found to have positive impact on weight and hypoglycemia among bariatric surgery patients. Large scale studies are needed to generate more robust evidence.
T. AlQazlan: None. A.A. AlSaeed: None. T.T. Othman: None. A. Alshehri: None. M. Almehthel: None.
