The Impact of Race on Weight Loss After Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery

Background Gastric bypass surgery for morbid obesity has dramatically increased in volume over the past decade. Caucasian patients have been noted previously to lose more weight after bariatric surgery than African-Americans patients. Data regarding predictors of maintaining weight loss after surgery are minimal. We sought to determine predictors of long-term weight loss after bariatric surgery. Methods Retrospective analysis using a multivariate logistic regression model of all patients undergoing Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery at the Medical University of South Carolina from May 1993 to December 2004 for whom 2 years of follow-up data was available. Our dependent variable was the percentage of weight lost from baseline, dichotomized at ±35%. Our primary independent variable was race, defined as Caucasian, African-American, or other. Relevant covariates were added to the model to control for their potential effects on outcome. Results One hundred eleven patients (17 male/94 female; 85% Caucasian, mean age 44 years (range 18–68 years). In our model, Caucasian subjects (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 7.60, 95% confidence intervals [95%CI] = 1.83–31.5) and late post surgical complications (adjusted OR = 2.67, 95%CI = 1.05–6.80) significantly predicted weight loss at 2 years, after controlling for relevant confounders. Other covariates did not significantly impact the model. Conclusion Race and late post surgical complications significantly impacted the percentage of weight loss at 2 years for patients undergoing Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery at our institution. Future research should be directed at determining potential genetic and/or social reasons for these differences.