Covid-19 And Its Severity In Bariatric Surgery-Operated Patients

Objective Obesity is a major risk factor for severe forms of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), but little is known about the post-bariatric surgery (BS) setting. The prevalence of likely COVID-19 and its risk factors in patients followed up after BS was assessed.Methods A total of 738 patients who underwent BS and were followed up at a university medical center were surveyed. A retrospective comparison of characteristics at baseline, 1 year after BS, and at the time of lockdown was performed between patients with COVID-19-likely events (CL) based on a combination of reported symptoms and those for whom COVID-19 was unlikely.Results CL occurred in 62 (8.4%) patients, among whom 4 (6.4%) had a severe form requiring hospitalization and 1 (1.6%) died. The CL group had a higher proportion of persistent type 2 diabetes (T2D) at last follow-up (36.2% vs. 20.3%, P = 0.01). BMI at the time of lockdown was lower in the CL group (30.2 +/- 5.1 vs. 32.8 +/- 6.5 kg/m(2); P < 0.01) with higher percent weight loss since BS in the CL group. Severe forms of COVID-19 requiring hospitalization were associated with persistent T2D at the last follow-up visit.Conclusions In BS patients, CL were associated with persistent T2D and lower BMI.