Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Obesity is recognized as a continuously growing, global public health problem. It is associated with increased risk of a variety of acute and chronic disorders.

Objective: The aim of our work was to estimate the prevalence of obesity-related complications in a group of patients undergoing sleeve gastrectomy.

Methodology: Retrospective, descriptive study of a group of obese candidates for bariatric surgery recruited from the obesity research unit of the National Institute of Nutrition. All patients underwent a thorough interview, physical examination and biological analysis to rule out secondary obesity and to look for metabolic complications of obesity.

Results: Our study included 40 patients, 7 men and 33 women. The mean age of the patients was 34.6 years [18-57]. The mean BMI was 50.23±8.27 kg/m². The mean waist circumference was 137.75±16.09 cm. The prevalence of morbid obesity was 95%. Nearly two thirds of the subjects had a first degree family history of obesity. The prevalence of smoking and alcoholism was 27% and 2.5% respectively. The prevalence of metabolic complications of obesity was 7.5% for hyperuricemia, 37.5% for hypercholesterolemia, 67.5% for hypoHDLemia and 30% for hypertriglyceridemia. Concerning the disorders of carbohydrate tolerance, type 2 diabetes was found in 17.5% of patients, moderate fasting hyperglycaemia in 40% of patients and carbohydrate intolerance in 2 patients. Hypertension was diagnosed in 20% of patients. PCOS and fertility disorders were observed in 18% and 10% of obese women respectively. Digestive complications such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, vesicular lithiasis and gastroesophageal reflux were noted in 62.5%, 7.5% and 25% of cases respectively. Bone and joint complications were dominated by gonarthrosis in 57% of patients. obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS )was noted in 80% of patients with 32% mild, 22% moderate and 25% severe OSAS.

Conclusion: Our work demonstrates a significant prevalence of obesity complications in our population. This justifies the need for early and adequate management of obesity in order to prevent the occurrence of these complications.