Anxiety, Depression and Health-Related Quality of Life after Jejunoileal Bypass: A 25-Year Follow-up Study of 20 Female Patients

Background: Jejunoileal (JI) bypass was a widely performed operation for morbid obesity in the 1970s.The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term status for mental and physical health after weight loss induced by this operation. Methods: 20 female patients (age 48-80 y, BMI 23-75 kg/m²) were interviewed 25 years after JI bypass. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD) and Short Form 36 (SF-36) were used. Scores from the Norwegian female population, and published scores for morbidly obese patients were used for comparison. An assessment was made on whether present demographic and clinical factors influenced the scores. Results: Anxiety and depression scores, and scores for physical functioning, bodily pain, vitality and mental health on the SF-36 were similar to scores in the Norwegian female population used for comparison. The scores from the patient sample were much better than scores published for morbidly obese patients, and implies that weight loss induced by the operation has been of great benefit on mental health and health-related quality of life. Anxiety and depression symptoms improved; however, being socially handicapped by the stools had a negative impact on HAD and SF-36 scores. Conclusion: These results suggest that 25 years after the JI bypass most of these patients have a similar level of mental and physical health as the general Norwegian female population. For individuals with bothersome side-effect(s) of the operation, a negative impact is seen.