Key clinical point: Hospitalized patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with vs without prior bariatric surgery were less likely to have in-hospital deaths, major morbidities, unfavorable discharges, and prolonged length of stay (LOS).
Major finding: Patients with vs without prior bariatric surgery were at a reduced risk for any morbidity (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.45; 95% CI 0.42-0.48), in-hospital mortality (aOR 0.41; 95% CI 0.27-0.61), unfavorable discharge (aOR 0.48; 95% CI 0.44-0.53), and prolonged LOS (aOR 0.43; 95% CI 0.39-0.46).
Study details: This population-based, retrospective study included 33,075 hospitalized patients with morbid obesity and RA, of which 6615 patients with prior bariatric surgery were propensity-score matched with 26,460 patients without prior bariatric surgery.
Disclosures: This study did not declare any source of funding. The authors declared no conflicts of interest .
Source: Lin I-C and Liu H. Impact of bariatric surgery on outcomes of patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A propensity score–matched analysis of US nationwide inpatient sample, 2005–2018. Obes Surg. 2022 (Jun 29). Doi: 10.1007/s11695-022-06177-8