Long-term death rates
Death rates after bariatric surgery must be weighed against the long-term cardiovascular risks of continued obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Strong evidence now exists that bariatric surgery increases life expectancy 48 and that this is largely attributable to reduction in cardiovascular risk factors such as diabetes and cancer. Recent studies have found that the long-term death rate is 32% to 73% lower for patients undergoing bariatric surgery than in matched controls who do not undergo surgery. 49 A decrease in the death rate related to diabetes has played an important role in these results.
Acknowledgments: We acknowledge support from the National Institutes of Health, Multidisciplinary Clinical Research Career Development Programs Grant 5K12RR023264 (SRK), National Center for Research Resources, CTSA 1UL1RR024989, and research grants from Ethicon Endo-Surgery (PS,SRK).