@Article{ecn.2012.0318,
AUTHOR = {Arnon Blum, Snait Tamir, David Hazzan, Oxana Podvitzky, Rizak Sirchan, Lital Keinan-Boker, Rotem Shelly Ben-Shushan, Nava Blum, Laylee Shaich Suliman, Nissim Geron},
TITLE = {Gender effect on vascular inflammation following bariatric surgery},
JOURNAL = {European Cytokine Network},
VOLUME = {23},
YEAR = {2012},
NUMBER = {4},
PAGES = {154--157},
URL = {http://www.techscience.com/ECN/v23n4/65688},
ISSN = {1952-4005},
ABSTRACT = {Studies have shown that mortality was reduced by 31.6% in patients that underwent bariatric surgery
compared with the non-operative control group. However, in most surgical series the majority of patients were
women, and men had higher post-operative mortality rates and a higher postoperative morbidity, regardless of
weight. Our primary end point was to study gender effects on vascular inflammation following bariatric surgery
for weight loss. Methods. A prospective study evaluated vascular inflammation in obese patients before and three
months after bariatric surgery. Markers of vascular inflammation were measured - before surgery and three months
afterwards.Results.One hundred and two patients (73 women and 29 men, 40.5±12.3 years old) underwent bariatric
surgery. Correlation was found between BMI change and waist circumference change (r = 0.658, P<0.001). Three
months post-surgery, BMI was significantly decreased (p<0.001) (a decrease of 8.82), waist circumference was
reduced (p<0.001) (a decrease of 17.33 cm). ICAM-1 levels and hs-CRP levels were decreased (both P = 0.0001).
Gender differences seem to be borderline significant with respect to the prevalence of type II diabetes mellitus (men
> women; P = 0.05) and hypertension (men > women; P = 0.06). In women, following bariatric surgery, BMI was
decreased (p<0.001) (a decrease of 9.25), waist circumference was reduced (p<0.001) (a decrease of 18.8cm). ICAM1
levels were decreased (p = 0.002) and hs-CRP levels were also decreased (P = 0.0001). In men, following bariatric
surgery, BMI was decreased (p = 0.001) (a decrease of 8.1), waist circumference was reduced (p<0.005) (a decrease
of 14.6cm); however, although ICAM-1 levels and hs-CRP levels were decreased the decreases were non-significant
(both P = 0.09). Discussion. Our study examined gender effects of bariatric surgery on vascular inflammation.
Bariatric surgery had no significant effect on biochemical inflammatory markers in male patients, while females
undergoing the same kind of bariatric surgery for weight loss showed a significant decrease in these markers of
inflammation. These results may explain the epidemiological data that described higher morbidity and mortality
among obese men undergoing bariatric operation for weight loss. This is the first study that has demonstrated a
gender difference in the inflammatory responses that may affect clinical outcome, and cardiovascular morbidity
and mortality.},
DOI = {10.1684/ecn.2012.0318}
}