RESUMO
Background The objective of this study was to assess the impact of bariatric surgery performed in extremely obesenon-diabetic subjects on the following parameters: endothelial function, inflammatory processes (assessed by highsensitivity C-reactive protein [hs-CRP]), carotid arteryintima-media thickness (CIMT), and glucose and lipid profiles. Methods Forty-seven obese individuals with body mass index >40 kg/m2 underwent bariatric surgery and returned for post-procedure assessment between 6 and 19 months after surgery. Ninety-three percent of patients were female.Their age ranged from 18 to 65 (mean 41) years old at baseline. Baseline was defined as the maximum of 30 days before surgery. Before and after surgery, all patients were subjected to a brachial artery ultrasound examination to evaluate endothelial-dependent dilation, CIMT by ultrasound, and laboratory analyses including glucose, lipidand inflammatory profiles were performed. Results Subjects lost an average of 33 % of their original weight (p<0.001). Flow-mediated dilation showed significant improvement after surgery from 7.4 % to 18.9 % (p<0.001)on average. There was regression of CIMT, with the median being reduced from 0.8 to 0.5mm(p<0.001). The median Hs-CRP reduced from 0.83 to 0.18 mg/dl (p<0.001), while glucose and lipid profiles were also improved after surgery. Conclusions This study shows that severely obese, non diabetic patients who had pronounced weight loss after bariatric surgery had an overall improvement in brachial flow-mediated dilation, CIMT, high-sensitivity CRP, and glucose and lipid metabolism. The best responses of the brachial flow-mediated dilation after surgery were observed in non-smokers and in younger subjects.