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Is Bariatric Surgery Effective in Reducing Comorbidities and Drug Costs? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess drug use and costs before and after bariatric surgery (BS). A systematic review of the literature was carried out using the MeSH terms obesity, bariatric surgery, and drug costs for searches of 10 electronic databases up to July 2014. Data were extracted from the 11 studies (37,720 patients) that fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Where applicable, data were pooled by meta-analysis. The average number of drugs per patient decreased from 3.9 ± 1.86 before surgery to 1.75 ± 1.85 after surgery. Mean reduction in total cost of drugs was 49.8 % over a follow-up duration of 6–72 months. BS is effective for the improvement or resolution of comorbidities and significantly reduces drug use and costs.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Federico Augustovski, Profesor of Public Health, Universidad de Buenos Aires and Director, Department of Health Technology Assessment and Health Economics, IECS - Instituto de Efectividad Clinica y Sanitaria (Argentina); Leila Beltrame Moreira Profesor of Pharmacology Departament, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul and Director of Health Technology Assessment of Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (Brazil) and Fernanda Bueno Morroni, Titular Professor, Pharmacy School, Pontifícia Universidade Católica – PUCRS (Brazil) for their contributions in the conception and design of this study.

Funding

This study was funded by a grant from CAPES Foundation, Ministry of Education of Brazil, Brasília—DF, Brazil, Grant No. 942392.

Conflict of Interest

Edyane Cardoso Lopes, Isabela Heineck, Gabriel Athaydes, Nelson Guardiola Meinhardt, Katia Elisabete Pires Souto, and Airton Tetelbom Stein declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

For this type of study, formal consent is not required.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Programa de Pós Graduação em Epidemiologia, Departamentode Medicina Social, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul—UFRGS, Av. Ramiro Barcelos, 2600, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

    E. C. Lopes & A. T. Stein

  2. Public Health School, Secretaria Estadual de Saúde do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Ipiranga, 6311, CEP 90610-001, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

    E. C. Lopes

  3. Programa de Pós Graduação em Assistência Farmacêutica and Programa de Pós Graduação em Ciências Farmacêuticas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul—UFRGS, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

    I. Heineck

  4. Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

    G. Athaydes

  5. Center for Attendance to Obesity Degree III, Nossa Senhora da Conceição Hospital (Hospital Nossa Senhora da Conceição—HNSC), Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

    N. G. Meinhardt & K. E. P. Souto

  6. Nossa Senhora da Conceição Hospital (Hospital Nossa Senhora da Conceição—HNSC, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

    A. T. Stein

  7. Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre—UFCSPA, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

    A. T. Stein

  8. Universidade Luterana do Brasil—ULBRA, Canoas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

    A. T. Stein

Authors
  1. E. C. Lopes
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  2. I. Heineck
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  3. G. Athaydes
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  4. N. G. Meinhardt
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  5. K. E. P. Souto
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  6. A. T. Stein
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to E. C. Lopes.

Appendix

Appendix

Table 4 Assessment of methodological quality of included studies
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Lopes, E.C., Heineck, I., Athaydes, G. et al. Is Bariatric Surgery Effective in Reducing Comorbidities and Drug Costs? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. OBES SURG 25, 1741–1749 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-015-1777-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-015-1777-5

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