Atherosclerotic disease burden after bariatric surgery in patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes

The rising rates of obesity, along with its associated morbidities, represent an important global health threat. Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) is among the most common and hazardous obesity-related morbidity, and it is especially prevalent among those who suffer from type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Bariatric surgery (BS) is known to help with effective weight management and reduce the burden of cardiovascular risk factors, especially T2DM.

A nested propensity-matched cohort study was carried out using the Clinical Practice Research Datalink. The cohort included 1186 patients with no past history of ASCVD, 593 of whom underwent BS and 593 propensity-score matched controls, followed up for a mean of 42.7 months. The primary end point was the incidence of new ASCVD; defined as new coronary artery disease (CAD), cerebrovascular disease (CeVD), peripheral arterial disease (PAD), or miscellaneous atherosclerotic disease; secondary end points included primary end point components alone and all-cause mortality.

Patients who underwent BS had significantly lower rates of new ASCVD (hazard ratio [HR] 0.53, confidence interval [CI] 0.30-0.95, P = 0.032. There were no significant differences in rates of CAD, CeVD, and PAD individually across cohorts, but a lower rate of all-cause mortality was observed in the BS cohort (HR 0.36, CI 0.19-0.71, P = 0.003).

BS was associated with improved ASCVD outcomes and lower mortality in patients with obesity and T2DM. This study provides evidence for increased awareness of potential benefits of BS in the management of obesity by highlighting a potential role in primary prevention for ASCVD.