Kidney disease found to impact weight loss after bariatric surgery

Early-stage chronic kidney disease has a negative impact on short-term weight loss outcomes after bariatric metabolic surgery, according to a study published online Oct. 10 in Obesity Surgery.

João Pereira, from the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Porto in Portugal, and colleagues evaluated the impact of kidney dysfunction on weight loss outcomes after bariatric metabolic surgery. The analysis included 127 participants undergoing gastric bypass with preoperative evaluation, as well as assessment at six and 12 months after surgery.

The researchers found that after surgery, the mean body mass index was 27.7 kg/m² at six months and 25.0 kg/m² at 12 months versus 39.6 kg/m² before surgery. In patients with a preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate less than the 25th percentile, the percent of total weight loss was lower (34.4 versus 39.4 at 12 months). For preoperative creatinine clearance rate, proteinuria, or albuminuria, there were no significant correlations noted between weight loss metrics.

"These findings, if confirmed over longer period, suggest that patients with obesity and concomitant early-stage (G2) deterioration of kidney function can still achieve satisfactory weight loss outcomes after bariatric metabolic surgery, while potentially benefiting from renal function improvements as previously reported," the authors write.