Changes in Ferritin and Hemoglobin Levels in Obese Patients before and after Bariatric Surgery: A Cohort Study

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Student Research Committee, School of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

2 Nutrition Research Center, School of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

3 Laparoscopy Research Center, Shiraz University of medical sciences, Shiraz, Iran

10.30476/ijns.2024.101242.1294

Abstract

Background: Bariatric surgery has been known as an efficient treatment for morbid obesity during the last few decades. Considering the high prevalence of anemia in obese patients and the changes in the iron status of the body after bariatric surgery, the purpose of this study was to assess the pattern of changes in the ferritin and hemoglobin (Hb) levels in obese patients before and after bariatric surgery.
Methods: The current retrospective cohort study was done on 241 obese patients of both genders undergoing bariatric surgery between 2018 and 2021. Preoperatively, 3, 6, and 12 months post-bariatric surgery, data considering body mass index (BMI), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), Platelet (PLT), Hb, ferritin, and hematocrit (Hct) was extracted from the National Obesity Surgery database.
Results: Before the surgery, the Hb, ferritin, and Hct levels in female and male groups were significantly different (p<0.001). The mean Hb, ferritin, and Hct levels in female and male participants were significantly different over the time (p<0.001, p=0.002, p<0.001, respectively). The levels of Hb, Hct, PLT, ferritin, and BMI variables decreased over the time in patients after bariatric surgery, and were significantly lower in women than men.
Conclusion: Our findings revealed that anemia caused by micronutrient deficiency was relatively common in patients who underwent bariatric surgery and got worse over the time.

Highlights

Zahra Sohrabi (Google Sholar)

Neda Haghighat (Google Scholar)

Keywords