ISLAMABAD: A new study has shown that severely obese patients undergoing weight loss surgery are more likely to have increased fracture risks both before and after the surgical procedure.
The study, published in the journal The BMJ, suggested that fracture risk assessment and management should be part of weight loss care and obesity may not be as protective for fracture as originally thought.
The researchers speculated that the increased fracture risks are due to obesity-related conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, as well as anatomical changes, and nutritional deficiencies induced by weight loss surgery.
The study examined the incidence and sites of fracture in severely obese patients who had undergone weight loss surgery and compared them to obese and non-obese controls matched for sex and age.
“The study represents an important contribution to the evidence on the management of patients after weight loss surgery.
Fracture risk assessment should be considered for all patients, as well as following guidelines on nutritional supplementation that include the best available evidence,” said Marco Bueter, a surgeon at the University of Zurich.
