Safety and Efficacy of Bariatric Surgery in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Background The safety and efficacy of bariatric surgery in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients is poorly understood. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis studying safety and efficacy of bariatric surgery in IBD patients as well as the impact of bariatric surgery on IBD course. Methods We conducted a comprehensive search of multiple databases (through September 2019) to identify studies that reported outcome of bariatric surgery in IBD patients. Outcomes assessed included the pooled rate of adverse events, change in medications after bariatric surgery, and 12-month excess weight loss (EWL) and body mass index (BMI) reduction after bariatric surgery. Results A total of 10 studies were included in final analysis. The pooled rate of early and late adverse events was 15.9% (95% CI, 9.3-25.9) and 16.9% (95% CI, 12.1-23.1), respectively. The rate of adverse events in Roux-en-Y gastric bypass was 45.6% (95% CI, 21.9-71.4) compared with 21.6% (95% CI, 11.1-38) in sleeve gastrectomy (p = 0.11). The pooled rate of 12-month EWL and BMI reduction after surgery was 66.1% (95% CI, 59.8-72.3%) and 13.7 kg/m(2)(95% CI, 12.5-14.9), respectively. The pooled rate of decrease, increase, and no change of IBD medications were 45.6% (95% CI, 23.8-69.2), 11% (95% CI, 6.3-18.4), and 57.6% (95% CI, 39.2-74.1), respectively. Conclusions Bariatric surgery has acceptable safety and efficacy profile in IBD patients. Nearly half of patients had decrease in their IBD medications after bariatric surgery, and only 10% experienced therapeutic escalation following bariatric surgery. Sleeve gastrectomy may be the preferred procedure in this population.