Abstract

Background: Obesity constitutes a true global epidemic. The number of obese elderly people is increasing in the world. It is important to identify the best treatment strategy for these patients. Methods: Retrospect review of 62 elderly patients (60 years-old or more) submitted to gastric bypass, compared to 178 non-elderly patients (18 to 59 years-old) for effectiveness in weight loss and resolution of associated metabolic diseases (diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidemia) at 12 months and 24 months. Results: The elderly group had a mean age of 62.8±2.4 years. Older patients had higher rates of diabetes and hypertension (P <0.001), but both groups had comparable rates of dyslipidemia (P = 0.358). No difference for total body weight loss and BMI at 12 months and 24 months were observed between the groups. The elderly had remission rates for diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidemia of 51.5%, 45.5% and 48.8% at 24 months, respectively. The younger ones are more likely to respond to bariatric surgery, with higher resolution rates. Conclusion: Gastric Bypass is effective in patients over 60 years of age and is associated with good results in terms of weight loss and improvement of obesity-related comorbidities, although the results are lower when compared to younger patients.

Keywords

obesity, elderly, gastric bypass, metabolic diseases