Bariatric surgery prevents carotid wall thickness progression

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular research
• Metabolic disease research
• Obesity research

Background:

• Bariatric surgery is a key treatment for severe obesity, improving cardiovascular and metabolic health.
• Carotid intima media thickness (C-IMT) quantifies subclinical atherosclerosis.
• Prior research indicated short- to mid-term C-IMT progression stabilization post-bariatric surgery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the long-term (10-year) impact of bariatric surgery-induced weight loss on C-IMT progression.
• To compare long-term C-IMT changes in bariatric surgery patients with a population-based control cohort.

Main Methods:

• Evaluated 21 bariatric surgery patients preoperatively, and at 5 and 10 years post-surgery.
• Assessed anthropometric data, lipid profiles, glucose, and insulin levels.
• Measured C-IMT progression using B-mode scans and compared with an age- and BMI-matched control group from the Bruneck study.

Main Results:

• C-IMT remained stable in the bariatric surgery cohort over 10 years.
• The control cohort exhibited significant C-IMT progression during the same period.
• A statistically significant difference (p < 0.01) in C-IMT progression was observed between the two groups over 10 years.

Conclusions:

• Weight loss achieved through bariatric surgery effectively halts the natural progression of C-IMT.
• Bariatric surgery provides a sustained benefit in reducing atherosclerosis progression over a decade.