Impact of laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding on obesity co-morbidities in the medium- and long-term

Background: The authors evaluated the impact of laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) on obesity-associated diseases in a series at 3 to 8 years postoperatively, namely diabetes, pulmonary disease, hypertension and knee joint pain. Methods: 145 morbidly obese patients underwent LAGB with mean age 38 years and preoperative BMI 48.5 kg/m(2) (range 34-77). Changes in BMI and excess BMI loss (EBL) were evaluated. Results: 138 of the 145 patients (95%) were available for full follow-up. At last follow-up, BMI had dropped to 34.0 +/- 6.4 SD kg/m(2), and mean EBL was 61.9 +/- 26.1%. Prevalence of obesity-associated disease was significantly reduced: diabetes decreased from 10% to 4%, treatment-requiring pulmonary disease from 15% to 5%, hypertension from 43% to 27%, and knee pain from 47% to 38%. Conclusion: Following gastric banding, >75% of patients suffering from obesity-related disease had significant decrease or resolution of their co-morbidities.