Discrepancies in Obesity-Related Medical Problems Between Indian and Greek Bariatric Candidates – An Observational Study.

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Obesity has been characterized as a pandemic, nevertheless, it demonstrates phenotypical and epidemiological heterogeneity across different ethnic populations. Methods We compared Indian and Greek patients living with obesity who presented for metabolic bariatric surgery (MBS) from 1/1/2022–31/12/2022, based on their preoperative workup. The items examined were age, sex, smoking status, preoperative body mass index (BMI), and common obesity-related medical problems (ORMPs), including hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), dyslipidemia, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Categorical data are presented as frequencies (%), and continuous data as means ± SD (range). The groups were compared with Fisher’s exact test (categorical) and unpaired t-test (continuous). Results The Indian cohort comprised 2,093 patients (44.3% females) and the Greek 143 patients (61.5% females). Indian candidates for MBS were older (44.1 vs. 39.5 years, 95%CI 2.77–6.83, p < 0.0001) and featured lower preoperative BMI [42.1 vs. 46.7 kg/m2, 95%CI (-6.16)–(-3.04), p = 0.0001]. Smoking was more prevalent in Greeks (37.1% vs. 5.9%, 95%CI 23.2–39.1, p < 0.0001]. No significant difference was observed regarding hypertension [39.7% vs. 35.0%, 95%CI (-3.4)–12.8, p = 0.2888]. The rest of ORMPs were more prevalent in the Indian cohort (T2DM: 33.2% vs. 13.3%, 95%CI 14.0–25.8, p < 0.0001; dyslipidemia 25.4% vs. 14.7%, 95%CI 4.6–16.8, p = 0.0035; OSA: 64.0% vs. 18.9%, 95%CI 38.4–51.9, p < 0.0001). Conclusions Indian candidates for MBS were more likely to suffer from ORMPs compared to Greek candidates. Conversely, it could be postulated that Indian bariatric candidates had a stronger metabolic component as the indication for surgery, whereas Greek presented primarily for weight loss.