Nutritional deficiencies in bariatric surgery candidates

Area of Science:

• Nutrition Science
• Bariatric Surgery
• Obesity Medicine

Background:

• Morbid obesity presents significant health challenges, often necessitating bariatric surgery.
• Pre-operative nutritional status is crucial for surgical outcomes and patient recovery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence of nutritional deficiencies in morbidly obese patients.
• To investigate the relationship between pre-operative deficiencies and patient demographics/co-morbidities.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of preoperative blood tests from 114 bariatric surgery candidates.
• Assessed levels of iron, ferritin, vitamin B12, folic acid, calcium, phosphorous, PTH, albumin, total protein, hemoglobin, and MCV.
• Collected demographic and socio-economic data.

Main Results:

• High prevalence of deficiencies: 35% iron, 24% folic acid, 24% ferritin, 19% low Hb/MCV.
• Females had higher rates of iron and ferritin deficiency; males had higher anemia rates.
• Higher BMI (>50 kg/m²) correlated with low folic acid; higher income correlated with less iron deficiency.

Conclusions:

• Morbidly obese individuals undergoing bariatric surgery exhibit a high incidence of nutritional deficits.
• Pre-operative nutritional screening is essential for this patient population.