In a recent study published in the journal Current Medical Research & Opinion, a team of researchers determined the effectiveness of the latest generation of adjustable gastric banding systems (LBAP) for weight loss, illustrating the importance of ≥30% weight loss as a significant predictor of clinical improvement in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) 1 and 2 years post-LBAP.
Obesity, defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of ≥30 kg/m2, has emerged as a global epidemic. The prevalence of obesity in the United States has been found in more than 35% of adults (20 years of age or older), with recent forecasts indicating that by the year 2030, 51% of the population will be obese. These figures are important, as obesity is associated with reduced physical, psychological, and social quality of life.
Of the 3 most common bariatric procedures, laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB), laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, and laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, LAGB and laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass are the most commonly performed procedures for individuals with obesity.
The LAP-BAND AP System, the latest generation of adjustable gastric banding systems, has been found to lower the BMI restriction to include adults with BMI >30 who have at least 1 obesity-related comorbid condition, such as diabetes, heart disease, or obstructive sleep apnea and who have failed more conservative weight-reduction alternatives, such as supervised diet, exercise, and behavior-modification programs
In the study titled “Effect of adjustable gastric banding on quality of life and weight loss in the Helping Evaluate Reduction in Obesity (HERO) registry study: 2 year analysis,” Denise Globe PhD from the Global Health Outcome Strategy & Research, Allergan Inc. and co-workers, report the results of the HERO (Helping Evaluate Reduction in Obesity) study, which aimed to assess health-related quality of life (HRQOL), weight loss and the factors that predict the improvement of HRQOL 1 and 2 years after Lap-Band AP implantation (post-LBAP).
The HERO study is the first large, long-term registry with the LBAP to provide real-world information on LAGB that help inform patient choice, treatment strategies, current surgical techniques, and guide practice standards.
For the analysis, researchers included 1 and 2 year follow-up data from 585 patients post-LBAP. the assessment of the percentage of weight loss (%WL), changes in body mass index (BMI), and HRQOL (Impact of Weight on Quality of Life [IWQOL]–Lite measure), and differences between <30% EWL and ≥30% EWL subgroups was performed at 1 and 2 years following LBAP.
To investigate the association between %EWL groups and IWQOL-Lite scores, the researchers controlled for age, gender, region (US vs outside US), household income, employment status, and comorbidities, and used multiple regression.
The results showed that 80.2% of the patients were female and 64.8% were from the United States. A total of 65.8% of the patients had ≥30% EWL at year 2. At 2 years follow-up, the results showed that the mean %EWL was 43.5%; %EWL was 12.4% in the <30% EWL group and 59.6% in ≥30% EWL group.
Results also revealed that changes in Impact of Weight on Quality of Life total and subscores were higher in ≥30% EWL versus <30% EWL patients at 1 and 2 years follow-up, and the variables Physical and Self-Esteem subscores had the largest changes.
At 1 and 2 year follow-up, the results showed that those patients with an ≥30% EWL had improvements in health-related quality of life in comparison to patients that had <30% EWL.
Females and patients from the United States were found to have meaningful clinical changes in their Impact of Weight on Quality of Life score compared with their counterparts. Comorbidities, employment status and income were predictors of change in IWQOL scores 2 years following LBAP.
