New Insights into Bariatric Surgery and GLP-1 Usage

A groundbreaking study has unveiled that 14% of U.S. adults start using glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) following their bariatric surgeries. This revelation, published in JAMA Surgery, opens the door to a deeper understanding of post-surgical care.

The Research Behind the Numbers

Conducted by a team led by Minji Kim, Pharm.D., from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the research analyzed electronic health records from approximately 113 million adults. Out of 112,858 individuals who underwent bariatric surgery, a notable 21.5% began their GLP-1 RA treatment within just two years post-surgery.

Who's Most Likely to Use GLP-1 RAs?

The study highlights significant trends: female patients, individuals receiving sleeve gastrectomy, and those diagnosed with type 2 diabetes showed a stronger inclination toward starting GLP-1 RAs. The adjusted hazard ratios revealed a 1.61 times, 1.42 times, and 1.34 times higher likelihood respectively for these groups.

Moreover, there's a notable pattern—an 8% increase in the likelihood of starting GLP-1 RAs accompanies every unit increase in post-surgical body mass index (BMI), indicating a connection between BMI and medication initiation.

Implications for Future Research

Senior study author Hemalkumar Mehta, Ph.D., emphasized that these findings prompt critical questions for future obesity research, setting the stage for further exploration into the effectiveness and integration of GLP-1 medications in obesity management post-surgery.

As obesity continues to be a pressing public health issue, this study could pave the way for more tailored treatment strategies and improve the quality of life for patients after bariatric surgery.