A Rutgers study of obese adults, all with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and morbid obesity (body mass index > 40), has shown that those who underwent bariatric surgery suffered far fewer extreme cardiovascular events subsequently.
Reporting their results in JAMA Network Open, the Rutgers team, along with collaborators from Ohio State University, reported that obese patients undergoing bariatric surgery were nearly 50 percent less likely to develop adverse cardiovascular events such as heart attacks, angina or strokes.
In the study, researchers analyzed outcomes data, using the MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters medical insurance database, from 2007 to 2017. Of 230 million covered individuals, 86,964 adults between the ages of 18 and 64 who had obesity and NAFLD were identified. Of those, 68 percent of the study group were female, 35 percent underwent bariatric surgery and 65 percent received nonsurgical care.
Bariatric surgery patients experienced a 49 percent decrease in the risk of developing major cardiovascular events such as heart attacks, heart failure or ischemic strokes. They were also far less likely to experience angina, atherosclerotic events or arterial blood clots.
The association between bariatric surgery and risk reduction of developing cardiovascular disease has not been studied to this level of detail before, the researchers said.
