Demographic and clinical predictors of bariatric surgery patients: A retrospective cohort study

The significant rise in bariatric procedures (BPs) reflects the global increase in obesity. In Saudi Arabia, obesity prevalence is notably high at 35.6%, surpassing the global average. This retrospective cohort study primarily aims to identify demographic and clinical predictors influencing BP uptake among individuals at a single healthcare centre in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Secondarily, it evaluates the effectiveness of BPs, particularly laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG), in reducing body mass index (BMI) and obesity-related comorbidities.

Data were extracted from the hospital's registry between October 2023 and June 2024. The study population included obese adults of varying ages, genders and comorbidities who underwent bariatric surgery. However, the single-centre design limited generalisability, long-term outcome data were unavailable and contextual factors, such as socioeconomic status and health literacy, were not captured.

A cohort of 208 patients was analysed, 64.9% females and 34.2% males, with a mean age of 36 ± 11.2 years. The pre-operative BMI was 44.10 ± 6.2 kg/m² ( P = 0.462), which decreased to 35.1 ± 6.5 kg/m² ( P = 0.577) postoperatively, reflecting a mean reduction of 9.03 ± 4.9 kg/m² (20.5%) ( P = 0.255). LSG was the most performed BP at 93.3%. The most prevalent obesity-related comorbidities identified were hypertension, diabetes and GIT disease including gall bladder disorders (15.9%, 13.9% and 13.5%, respectively).

This study highlights the increasing prevalence of BP, particularly among young, predominantly female patients. LSG demonstrated substantial effectiveness, achieving a 20.5% reduction in BMI and improvement in obesity-related comorbidities. Future research could explore more patient demographics that could not be analysed in this study.