Table 1.
Characteristics of the study participants at baseline and at 6 months post-surgery.
| Variable a | Baseline (n = 32) |
6 Months Post-Surgery (n = 29) | p-Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 44.5 ± 12.3 | - | - |
| Sex (%female) | 50 | - | - |
| Marital Status (%) | |||
| Married | 75 | - | - |
| Divorced | 6.3 | - | - |
| Single | 18.8 | - | - |
| Co-morbidities (%) | |||
| Diabetes | 9.4 | - | - |
| IFG | 50 | - | - |
| NAFLD | 84.4 | - | - |
| Dyslipidemia | 59.4 | - | - |
| Hypertension | 21.9 | - | - |
| Sleep Apnea | 15.6 | - | - |
| Hypothyroidism | 3.1 | - | - |
| Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease | 21.9 | - | - |
| Orthopedic Problems | 31.3 | - | - |
| Medication (%) | |||
| Drugs for diabetes | 6.3 | 0 | 0.500 |
| Drugs for dyslipidemia | 12.5 | 3.4 | 0.500 |
| Drugs for Hypertension | 18.8 | 10.3 | 0.500 |
| Anti-aggregation drugs | 6.3 | 3.4 | 1.000 |
| Drugs for hypothyroidism | 3.1 | 3.4 | 1.000 |
| Antacids | 9.4 | 31 | 0.109 |
| Anti-depressive drugs | 3.1 | 3.4 | 1.000 |
| Anthropometrics | |||
| Weight (kg) | 120.8 ± 25.2 | 90.9 ± 20.3 | <0.001 |
| Height (meter) | 1.7 ± 0.1 | - | - |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 41.7 ± 6.6 | 31.4 ± 5.6 | <0.001 |
| WC (cm) | 122.8 ± 14.3 | 100.5 ± 13.9 | <0.001 |
| NC (cm) | 38.7 ± 4.5 | 34.8 ± 3.7 | <0.001 |
| %EWL | NR | 67.8 ± 21.2 | - |
| Lifestyle | |||
| Smoking (%yes) | 6.3 | 6.9 | 1.000 |
| Physical activity (%yes) | 56.3 | 79.3 | 0.180 |
| Physical activity (h/week) | 1.2 ± 1.6 | 2.8 ± 2.3 | 0.017 |
| Dietary intake | |||
| Calories (kcal/day) | 2563.0 ± 979.6 | 1626.7 ± 712.8 | <0.001 |
| Protein (g/day) | 136.7 ± 48.8 | 87.3 ± 40.2 | <0.001 |
| Carbohydrates (g/day) | 226.7 ± 85.2 | 150.0 ± 73.7 | <0.001 |
| Fats (g/day) | 116.8 ± 63.4 | 69.5 ± 38.4 | <0.001 |
| Percent of food intake compared to before surgery | NR | 31.7 ± 14.6 | - |
| No. of dietitian appointments after surgery | NR | 4.3 ± 3.5 | - |
| Participation in support group after surgery (%yes) | NR | 13.8 | - |
| Supplementation (%) | |||
| Multivitamin | 43.8 | 93.1 | <0.001 |
| Calcium | 6.3 | 62.1 | <0.001 |
| Vitamin D | 62.5 | 86.2 | 0.039 |
| Vitamin B12 | 34.4 | 72.4 | 0.007 |
| Iron | 18.8 | 24.1 | 0.375 |
| Folic Acid | 18.8 | 6.9 | 0.250 |
| Biochemical tests ᵇ | |||
| Hemoglobin (g/dL) | 14.0 ± 1.3 | 13.2 ± 1.2 | <0.001 |
| %anemia (<13.5(male), <12(female)) |
12.5 | 28.6 | 0.063 |
| MCV (fL) | 83.3 ± 4.7 | 86.0 ± 5.1 | <0.001 |
| %low values (<80) | 25.0 | 10.7 | 0.063 |
| %high values (>95) | 0 | 0 | NR |
| MCHC (g/dL) | 33.8 ± 0.7 | 33.6 ± 0.7 | 0.632 |
| %low values (<33) | 6.3 | 14.3 | 0.625 |
| %high values (>37) | 0 | 0 | NR |
| Albumin (g/dL) | 4.4 ± 0.3 | 4.2 ± 0.3 | 0.002 |
| %hypoalbuminemia (<3.5) | 0 | 3.6 | 1.000 |
| Total protein (g/dL) | 7.6 ± 0.4 | 7.2 ± 0.4 | <0.001 |
| %low values (<6.3) | 0 | 0 | NR |
| Iron (µg/dL) | 90.3 ± 29.8 | 80.6 ± 25.1 | 0.107 |
| %deficiency (<49 [male], <37 [female]) |
0 | 3.7 | 1.000 |
| Ferritin (ng/mL) | 155.0 ± 138.3 | 154.4 ± 125.3 | 0.564 |
| %deficiency (<22[male], <10[female]) |
0 | 0 | NR |
| Transferrin (mg/dL) | 277.7 ± 37.5 | 238.9 ± 55.7 | 0.001 |
| %low values (<220) | 6.3 | 29.6 | 0.070 |
| %high values (>400) | 0 | 0 | NR |
| Transferrin saturation (%) | 23.8 ± 8.8 | 26.4 ± 14.1 | 0.323 |
| %low values (<20) | 43.8 | 33.3 | 0.289 |
| Folate (ng/mL) | 11.0 ± 5.6 | 12.4 ± 5.7 | 0.285 |
| %deficiency (<2.76) | 0 | 0 | NR |
| Vitamin B12 (pg/mL) | 519.5 ± 233.1 | 534.6 ± 221.9 | 0.725 |
| %deficiency (<239) | 0 | 3.7 | 1.000 |
| Vitamin D (ng/mL) | 25.3 ± 8.6 | 27.5 ± 10.2 | 0.366 |
| %insufficiency (<30) | 78.1 | 63.0 | 0.289 |
| %deficiency (<20) | 25.0 | 18.5 | 1.000 |
| Vitamin A (µg/dL) | - | 42.4 ± 10.1 | - |
| %deficiency (<30) | - | 15.4 | - |
| Quality of life | |||
| VAS QoL | 63.8 ± 18.3 | 81.0 ± 16.0 | <0.001 |
| M-A QoLII score c | 1.1 ± 0.8 | 1.8 ± 0.9 | 0.002 |
| M-A QoLII (%Good/Very good) d | 56.3 | 82.8 | 0.065 |
| GI symptoms (%) | |||
| ROME III score (%positive) e | 9.4 | 20.7 | 0.250 |
| Vomit | 0 | 0 | NR |
| Nausea | 6.3 | 24.1 | 0.125 |
| Regurgitation | 9.4 | 10.3 | 1.000 |
| Hiccups | 9.4 | 31.0 | 0.070 |
| Heartburn | 28.1 | 10.3 | 0.070 |
| Abdominal pain | - | 17.2 | - |
| Flatulence | 12.5 | 58.6 | 0.002 |
| Frequent soft stool | 6.3 | 34.5 | 0.021 |
| No. of feces per day | 1.5 ± 0.8 | 1.7 ± 1.2 | 0.188 |
| ≥3 feces per day | 3.1 | 13.8 | 0.250 |
| Hair loss | 21.9 | 48.3 | 0.016 |
| Glucose breath test (%positive) f,g | 0 | 37.0 | 0.004 |
| PEI (%positive) g,h | 0 | 26.1 i | 0.500 |
Abbreviations: body mass index (BMI), excess weight loss (EWL), gastrointestinal (GI), impaired fasting glucose (IFG), mean cell hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), mean cell volume (MCV), Moorehead–Ardelt Quality of Life Questionnaire II (M-A QoLII); neck circumference (NC), nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), not relevant (NR), pancreatic exocrine insufficiency (PEI), visual analogue scale quality of life (VAS QoL), waist circumference (WC). a Values expressed as the mean ± standard deviation, unless otherwise stated. b n = 32 for this test at baseline and n = 27 for this test at 6 months post-surgery. c A 10-point Likert scale is used for scoring, and its total score ranges from −3 to +3 (very poor to very good quality of life). d Score of 1.1–2 equals “good quality of life”, and 2.1–3 equals “very good quality of life”. e Irritable Bowel Syndrome was considered present when abdominal pain occurred more than 2 to 3 days a month, relieved after defecation, was related to changes in form and frequency of defecation and existed for 6 months or more. f n = 31 for this test at baseline and n = 27 for this test at 6 months post-surgery. g There was no difference in bypassed limb length between patients with positive and negative glucose breath test or FE1 test. h n = 12 for this test at baseline, and n = 23 for this test at 6 months post-surgery. i Four patients were categorized with severe PEI (FE1 < 100 µg/g), and 2 patients with mild-to-moderate PEI (FE1 = 100–200 µg/g).