Overview of obesity and effect of bariatric surgery in Aljouf area, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Abstract Introduction: Studies have shown that obesity is increasingly prevalent in Saudi Arabia (SA). As the nation has witnessed economic growth and associated lifestyle changes, obesity has emerged as a significant problem, according to the findings of Salem et al. in 2022. Although obesity has reached a prevalence of 41.1% in males and 77.6% in females in SA,research on this topic has been lacking. Aim: To highlight the prevalence of obesity in Aljouf area and demonstrate the effect of bariatric surgery on patient health. Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review using relevant demographic and clinical data from 2020 onward collected from the Arcus Air system. Statistical analysis: Descriptive statistical analysis was performed, and numerical data were presented as median (interquartile range [IQR]) and categorical data as frequencies and percentages. Numerical variables were tested for normality using the Shapiro-Wilk normality test. Statistical significance was set at P<0.05 were considered significant. STATA® 15.1 was employed for the analysis. Results: We included 196 patients who underwent bariatric surgery. Their median age was 34 years (range,17–52), and females constituted 65% . Approximately 80% of the study subjects had a baseline body mass index (BMI) of >40kg/m2, and approximately 13% had diabetes mellitus (DM). Ten days after surgery, a significant decline was observed in the median BMI of 39.3 (37.3–41.4) compared to the pre-operative median BMI of 42 (40–44 ). A further significant decrease was observed in BMI three months later (median BMI: 33.7 [31–36.98]). This was paralleled by improvement in HbA1c levels in patients with DM or pre-diabetes, with a median value of 5.5% (5.4–6.6) three months after surgery compared to a baseline median of 6.6% (6.2–7.4). Discussion: The data demonstrated that obesity was more prevalent in females than males. We observed a statistically significant change in weight loss based on BMI in the first ten days following the procedure (39; 37.2–41.3) and again at the three-month follow-up (33.7; 31–36.98), P <0.0001. Patients with comorbidities such as DM and hypertension showed significant health improvements, unlike those with high high-density or low-density lipoprotein levels. Conclusion: Bariatric surgery is an effective approach to weight reduction in patients with obesity. The study demonstrated significant reductions in comorbidities (DM and HTN), in addition to overall health improvements. There is a need to raise awareness of obesity’s effects on society. Further studies are required in northern regions.