No association between binge eating disorder and severity of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in severely obese patients.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The main aim of this study was to evaluate if the binge eating disorders (BEDs) related to obesity were associated with the severity of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). METHODS: Severely obese patients who had been referred for bariatric surgery were included in this study at the Nice University Hospital. All patients underwent a liver biopsy at the time of surgery. Between 2008 and 2015, 388 patients had an assessable Bulimia Test (BULIT) self-questionnaire at the time of surgery. A subgroup (n = 183), between 2011 and 2015, also responded to a Beck Depression Inventory, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and a Fatigue Impact Scale autoquestionnaire. A control group of 29 healthy people matched by age and gender was included. RESULTS: Among the 388 obese patients (median age 40 years, body mass index 41.7 kg/m2, 81% women), 14 patients had a "probable diagnosis" of BED, and 47 patients had a "high risk" of developing a BED according to the BULIT. Obese patients had significantly more severe BED, depression, anxiety, and fatigue compared to controls. Steatosis, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, or fibrosis was not associated with BED. Similarly, the severity of NAFLD was not associated with depression, anxiety, or fatigue. CONCLUSIONS: Severely obese patients had more severe BED, depression, anxiety, and fatigue than lean subjects independent of the severity of NAFLD.

Bariatric Surgery Significantly Improves the Quality of Sexual Life and Self-esteem in Morbidly Obese Women.

BACKGROUND: The impact of bariatric surgery (BS) on the sexual functioning of patients is poorly studied. Our aim was to analyze the sexual function, depressive symptoms, and self-esteem of morbidly obese women (MOW) undergoing BS. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Quality of sexual life was prospectively evaluated in 43 consecutive MOW (18-50 years) who underwent BS. Female sexual function index (FSFI), Beck depression inventory (BDI), and Rosenberg self-esteem scale (RSES) questionnaires were administered to evaluate sexual satisfaction, depressive symptoms, and self-esteem, respectively. A control group of 36 healthy, non-obese, female patients (HW) was recruited for comparison. Results of questionnaires were compared between three periods (before BS and at 3- and 6-month follow-up) and between MOW and HW. RESULTS: Before BS, the FSFI score was significantly lower in MOW compared to HW (17 ± 12 vs 27 ± 8, p = 0.0001) while at 3- and 6-month post-BS, a significant amelioration (p = 0.01) occurred. In particular, after BS, all components of the FSFI score (sexual desire, excitement, lubrification, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain) were ameliorated. The pre-BS BDI score was higher in MOW than in HW (8 ± 6 vs 5 ± 5, p = 0.004) while at postoperative months 3 and 6, a significant amelioration was found (p = 0.025 and 0.005, respectively). Before BS, no significant differences occurred in the RSES score between MOW and HW (30 ± 7 vs 32 ± 6, p = 0.014), whereas the MOW RSES scores at 6-month post-BS were improved when compared with the HW RSES scores. CONCLUSIONS: BS results in a significant improvement in the quality of sexual life, depressive symptoms, and self-esteem in MOW.

Fatigue in irritable bowel syndrome: characterization and putative role of leptin.

OBJECTIVES: Fatigue has received little attention in the irritable bowel syndrome. Emerging evidence exists that leptin may be involved in the pathogenesis of fatigue in several conditions. We aimed to evaluate the occurrence of fatigue and its characteristics in irritable bowel syndrome and to analyze the relationship between fatigue and leptin. METHODS: We enrolled 51 consecutive irritable bowel syndrome patients and 22 healthy controls without fatigue. None of them were depressed. The Fatigue Impact Scale was used to evaluate fatigue. RESULTS: In all, 62.7% of irritable bowel syndrome patients verbally expressed fatigue and rated more than 4 on the visual analog scale. The total score of fatigue was significantly higher in irritable bowel syndrome than in controls. In irritable bowel syndrome patients, but not in controls, a significant association was found between the total score of fatigue and leptin and this association was more pronounced in 32 irritable bowel syndrome patients who verbally expressed fatigue (r=0.60; P=0.0003). In irritable bowel syndrome, leptin correlated with fatigue independently from age, sex, fat mass and body mass index. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that fatigue occurs in 62.7% of irritable bowel syndrome patients when systematically asked for. Fatigue influences all three domains of the Fatigue Impact Scale in irritable bowel syndrome, the most being the physical and the psychosocial domains. Fatigue is associated with circulating leptin levels independently from age, sex, fat mass and body mass index in irritable bowel syndrome. The metabolic sequence involved in the occurrence of fatigue remains to be determined.