# Weight loss and self-perceived quality of life following laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass: is it important?

## TL;DR

This study shows that laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery improves quality of life, with greater weight loss and longer time post-surgery linked to better physical and emotional well-being.

## Contribution

The study demonstrates a direct relationship between weight loss after LRYGB and long-term improvements in self-perceived quality of life, including both physical and emotional domains.

## Key findings

- Greater weight loss is associated with significant improvements in general health and mental health domains of quality of life.
- Older patients and those with longer post-surgery follow-up show better emotional and mental health outcomes.
- Even nonsignificant weight loss can improve quality of life in physiological, psychological, and social aspects.

## Abstract

Weight loss (WL) is the most commonly used datum to measure the results of metabolic and bariatric surgery. The amount of WL is generally directly and proportionally associated with the improvement in quality of life (QoL), as the greater the former, the greater the perception of well-being.

To assess the relationship between the amount of weight lost after laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) and self-perceived improvement in quality of life (QoL).

The medical records of patients who underwent LRYGB between January 2017 and December 2019 with a minimum follow-up of 3 years were analyzed. The data obtained in the subgroups made up according to percentage of total weight loss (%TWL), age, and time elapsed since surgery were compared with the self-perceived QoL by the Short Form Survey 36 (SF-36) questionnaire.

A total of 95 individuals (71.6% women) with an average age of 45 years and an average postoperative (PO) follow-up of 61.1 months were enrolled. The mean pre- and postoperative weight was 114 kg and 73.4 kg, respectively, and the mean %TWL was 35.6%. According to the comparison between the data from the medical records and the self-perceived QoL assessment, D1 (physical functioning) was the best scoring domain, while D3 (pain) was the worst. There was a significant improvement of the D4 (general health) domain in patients with %TWL greater than 30% (p<0.05), D7 (role emotional), and D8 (mental health) domains in patients older than 45 years (p<0.05) and better results in D7 (role emotional) domain in patients over 5 years after surgery (p<0.05).

Greater weight loss and age and longer time after surgery showed important self-perceived improvement in QoL after LRYGB in some assessment domains, both physical and emotional.

The amount of weight loss is generally directly and proportionally associated with the improvement in quality of life (QoL);Nonsignificant reductions in body weight may also be enough to increase the QoL in physiological, psychological, social, and economic aspects;Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) can have a direct relationship with significant positive impacts on health-related self-perceived QoL, sustained in the long-term;Greater weight loss and age and longer time after surgery showed important self-perceived improvement in QoL after LRYGB in physical and emotional domains.

The amount of weight loss is generally directly and proportionally associated with the improvement in quality of life (QoL);

Nonsignificant reductions in body weight may also be enough to increase the QoL in physiological, psychological, social, and economic aspects;

Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) can have a direct relationship with significant positive impacts on health-related self-perceived QoL, sustained in the long-term;

Greater weight loss and age and longer time after surgery showed important self-perceived improvement in QoL after LRYGB in physical and emotional domains.

Weight loss (WL) is the most commonly used datum to measure the results of metabolic and bariatric surgery. The amount of WL is generally directly and proportionally associated with the improvement in quality of life (QoL), as the greater the former, the greater the perception of well-being. However, improvements in QoL may also not be linearly related to the amount of weight lost, as nonsignificant reductions in body weight may already be sufficient to increase QoL in physiological, psychological, social, and economic aspects. Furthermore, QoL seems to be one of the main targets of patients seeking bariatric procedures, which is not always properly valued.

In the present study, we demonstrate that the amount of weight lost provided by laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass can have a direct relationship with significant positive impacts on health-related self-perceived QoL, both physical and emotional. Moreover, these effects appear to be sustained in the long term, especially in older individuals.