Temporal Changes in Obesity-Related Medication After Bariatric Surgery vs No Surgery for Obesity

Bariatric surgery can resolve hyperlipidemia, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, but the long-term postoperative trajectories of medications for these conditions are unknown.

To clarify the long-term use of lipid-lowering, cardiovascular, and antidiabetic medication after bariatric surgery compared with no surgery for morbid obesity.

This population-based cohort study took place in Sweden (2005-2020) and Finland (1995-2018) and included individuals diagnosed with obesity. Analysis took place between July 2021 and January 2022.

Bariatric surgery (gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy) patients using lipid-lowering, cardiovascular, or antidiabetic medication were compared with 5 times as many control patients with an obesity diagnosis treated with no surgery, matched for country, age, sex, calendar year, and medication use.

Proportions with 95% CIs of lipid-lowering, cardiovascular, or antidiabetic medication.

A total of 26 396 patients underwent bariatric surgery (with gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy) (17 521 [66.4%] women; median [IQR] age, 50 [43-56] years) and 131 980 matched control patients (87 605 [66.4%%] women; median [IQR] age, 50 [43-56] years) were included. The proportion of lipid-lowering medication after bariatric surgery decreased from 20.3% (95% CI, 20.2%-20.5%) at baseline to 12.9% (95% CI, 12.7%-13.0%) after 2 years and 17.6% (95% CI, 13.3%-21.8%) after 15 years, while it increased in the no surgery group from 21.0% (95% CI, 20.9%-21.1%) at baseline to 44.6% (95% CI, 41.7%-47.5%) after 15 years. Cardiovascular medications were used by 60.2% (95% CI, 60.0%-60.5%) of bariatric surgery patients at baseline, decreased to 43.2% (95% CI, 42.9%-43.4%) after 2 years, and increased to 74.6% (95% CI, 65.8%-83.4%) after 15 years, while it increased in the no surgery group from 54.4% (95% CI, 54.3%-54.5%) at baseline to 83.3% (95% CI, 79.3%-87.3%) after 15 years. Antidiabetic medications were used by 27.7% (95% CI, 27.6%-27.9%) in the bariatric surgery group at baseline, decreased to 10.0% (95% CI, 9.9%-10.2%) after 2 years, and increased to 23.5% (95% CI, 18.5%-28.5%) after 15 years, while it increased in the no surgery group from 27.7% (95% CI, 27.6%-27.7%) at baseline to 54.2% (95% CI, 51.0%-57.5%) after 15 years.

In this study, undergoing bariatric surgery was associated with a substantial and long-lasting reduction in the use of lipid-lowering and antidiabetic medications compared with no surgery for obesity, while for cardiovascular medications this reduction was only transient.