Weight regain after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass has a large negative impact on the Bariatric Quality of Life Index

Background Despite initial successful weight loss, some patients may experience weight regain following Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB). Objective To assess the impact of weight regain on bariatric patients' quality of life (QoL). Methods This was a prospective cross-sectional study. Fifty-six consecutive RYGB patients were recruited and divided into weight-regain and weight-stable cohorts. QoL was assessed using the Bariatric Quality of Life (BQL) questionnaire. The BQL Index scores of the weight-regain and weight-stable groups were compared using Student's t-test. Additionally, the BQL Index score of the weight-regain group was compared with that of historical prebariatric patients. Predictors of BQL were assessed using univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses. Results Of 56 RYGB patients, 41 (73%) had weight regain. On average, patients had body mass index (BMI) of 37 +/- 7.5 kg/m(2) and gained 34 +/- 26% of maximal weight initially lost. Weight-regain patients had lower BQL Index scores than weight-stable patients (44.8 +/- 6 vs 53 +/- 7, p<0.001). Patients with weight regain had similar BQL Index scores as the prebariatric patients despite lower BMI (BMI of 39.7 +/- 6.8 vs 47.2 +/- 7.6, p<0.05; BQL Index of 44.8 +/- 6 vs 41.6 +/- 10.4, p=0.144, respectively). Years from RYGB, BMI and amount of weight regain were associated with BQL Index on a univariate analysis (beta=-0.55,-0.52, -0.7; p<0.0001). Only weight regain was a significant predictor of BQL on a multivariate analysis (beta=-0.56; p=0.001). Conclusion Weight regain had a negative impact on bariatric patients' QoL. Patients who regained at least 15% of maximal weight lost appeared to have as low QoL as those who had not undergone bariatric surgery despite a lower BMI.