Abstract

Background: Bariatric surgery is a frequently used treatment method of obesity. The comorbidities of obesity are well known. Evidence of the short-term effects on the quality of life (QoL) and self-esteem (SE) is established; however, there is limited literature available related to the long-term effects. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of bariatric surgery on QoL and SE 10 years after the surgery, and to identify the associated factors. In addition, the postoperative prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia was assessed.
Subjects and Methods: The design was a quantitative cross-sectional study carried out at the Surgery Department at King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh. All the patients who had surgery in 2011 were reviewed. Patients with gastric malignancies or without a telephone number were excluded. The sample was interviewed telephonically, guided by a QoL and SE questionnaire.
Results: The majority (n = 39, 73.6%) were female and the mean age was 41.9 ± 11.0 years. The mean QoL score was 1.4 ± 1.2 (good QoL) and the mean SE score was 21.4 ± 5.0 (normal SE). The majority (74%) of the sample had a good or very good QoL. Only 12% had a low SE. The majority (83.3%) of the low SE group had a fair or low QoL (p = 0.003). The 10-year postoperative prevalence of diabetes was 18.9%, hypertension was 15%, and dyslipidemia was 28.3%.
Conclusion: The findings of the study indicate that even after 10 years post-bariatric surgery, the majority of the sample had a very good QoL and normal to high SE. Hypertensive patients and patients with low SE were associated with a fair or low QoL.

Key words: Bariatric, quality of life, self-esteem