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Objective: To identify the predictors and social problems of obese patients in Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted for the period between July 2016 and January 2017. The study population consisted of obese patients visiting the surgery clinics following the medical examinations required before obesity surgery. Patients were recruited from four main medical centres in Riyadh: King Fahad Medical City, University Medical City-King Khalid University Hospital, King Abdulaziz Medical City in the National Guard, and Prince Sultan Military Medical City. The study questionnaire tool was developed based on extensive literature. The questionnaire tool explored personal and demographic characteristics of obese patients and the social problems that morbidly obese patients suffer from at the community level. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify predictors of those facing social problems. Results: A total of 374 patients completed the questionnaires. We found that having a bachelor's degree, a body mass index (BMI) of 40 kg/m2 and above, and other comorbidities were important predictors that increased the likelihood of having social problems related to obesity on a community level (p<0.05). On the other hand, having a high income (11,000 SR/per month and above) was a protective factor that was associated with lower odds of having social problems related to obesity on a community level (p<0.05). Conclusion: Obese patients with low socioeconomic status, having a bachelor's degree, and those with comorbidities tend to have social problems. Future studies to investigate the predictors or social problems among obese patients on a larger scale are warranted.
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OBJECTIVES: To explore the relationship between the blood group of patients and their response to bariatric surgery and to identify predictors of better outcomes. METHODS: This was a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of patients who underwent laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy for morbid obesity between 2014 and 2020 at King Saud University Medical City in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. RESULTS: This study included 1434 individuals. The mean change in BMI (pre- versus post-BMI) differed statistically significantly between blood groups (p ≤ 0.01). The greatest drop in body weight was seen in individuals with the AB-negative blood type (56.0 (21.4) kg), which corresponds to the greatest percentage of reduction from baseline (47.7% (14.8)). The mean BMI of the patients decreased by 34.7% (9.2) from a mean pre-operation BMI of 45.5 (8.4) kg/m2 to 29.7 (6.1) kg/m2 (p ≤ 0.001). After laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, male patients and those with the B-negative blood type are more likely to see a greater BMI reduction (pre-operation compared to post-operation) (p ≤ 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: For morbidly obese patients, laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy demonstrated promising weight loss outcomes. Blood groups may be able to predict the success rate of bariatric surgery in morbidly obese patients.