Obstructive Sleep Apnea: The Effect of Bariatric Surgery After Five Years—A Prospective Multicenter Trial

• Published in: Obesity surgery Vol. 34; no. 5; pp. 1544 - 1551
• Main Authors: Peromaa-Haavisto, Pipsa, Luostarinen, Markku, Juusela, Risto, Tuomilehto, Henri, Kössi, Jyrki
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01-05-2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Body mass index; Gastrointestinal surgery; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Metabolism; Obesity; Original Contributions; Patients; Quality of life; Questionnaires; Sleep apnea; Substance abuse treatment; Surgery; Obesity surgery; Metabolic surgery; OSA; Obstructive sleep apnea; Effect of bariatric surgery; Bariatric surgery
• ISSN: 0960-8923; 1708-0428
• DOI: 10.1007/s11695-024-07124-5

Background
The prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is high among the bariatric surgery candidates. Obesity is the most important individual risk factor for OSA. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) on OSA 5 years after the surgery.
Patients and Methods
In this prospective multicenter study, standard overnight cardiorespiratory recording was conducted to 150 patients at baseline prior to bariatric surgery. A total of 111 (73.3%) patients of those had OSA. Cardiorespiratory recordings at 5 years after surgery were available for 70 OSA patients. The changes in anthropometric and demographic measurements including age, weight, body mass index (BMI), and waist and neck circumference were evaluated. Also, a quality of life (QoL) questionnaire 15D administered in a baseline was controlled at 5-year follow-up visit.
Results
At 5-year OSA was cured in 55% of patients, but moderate or severe OSA still persisted in 20% of patients after operation. Mean total AHI decreased from 27.8 events/h to 8.8 events/h (
p
 < 0.001) at 5-year follow-up. A clinically significant difference in QoL was seen in mobility, breathing, sleeping, usual activities, discomfort and symptoms, vitality and sexual activity. The QoL total score improved more in OSA patient at 5-year follow-up.
Conclusions
LRYGB is an effective treatment of OSA in obese patients and the achieved beneficial outcomes are maintained at 5-year follow-up.
Graphical Abstract