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Skin Vasodilator Function and Vasomotion in Patients with Morbid Obesity: Effects of Gastric Bypass Surgery

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Abstract

Obesity-associated microvascular dysfunction (MVD) involves different body tissues, including skin, and concurs to increased cardiovascular risk in obese patients (Ob-P). Generalized improvement of MVD is an important goal in obesity treatment. Since skin MVD mirrors generalized systemic MVD, skin microvascular investigation in prospective studies in Ob-P may surrogate microvascular investigation in organs more important for cardiovascular risk of the studied patients. In this prospective study, we measured forearm skin post-occlusive reactive hyperaemia (PORH), as percentage flow increase from baseline, and skin vasomotion in 37 Ob-P before Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), and in 24 of them about 1 year after RYGB, using laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF). The spectral contribution of skin LDF signal oscillations in the frequency intervals of 0.01–0.02 Hz, 0.02–0.06 Hz, and 0.06–0.2 Hz—corresponding to endothelial-, sympathetic-, and myogenic-dependent vasomotion, respectively, was measured by means of spectral Fourier analysis. The same measurements were also performed in 28 healthy, lean subjects (HLS). Before RYGB, Ob-P had a significant reduction in PORH and in the all vasomotion parameters investigated, compared with HLS. After RYGB, Ob-P who completed the follow-up, had a significant weight loss (∼40 kg on average), together with a full normalisation in PORH and in vasomotion parameters, regardless of diabetes status. Surgically induced sustained weight loss resulted in full normalisation of skin microvascolar function in Ob-P about 1 year after RYGB. This result suggests a beneficial effect of sustained weight loss on generalized MVD of the studied Ob-P.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the Hospital of Pisa for support in the part of this study concerning the laser Doppler flowmetry investigation.

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The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine, University-Hospital of Pisa, Via Roma 67, 56100, Pisa, Italy

    Marco Rossi, Monica Nannipieri, Margherita Pesce, Elza Muscelli, Gino Santoro & Ele Ferrannini

  2. Unit of Bariatric Surgery, University-Hospital of Pisa, Pisa, Italy

    Marco Anselmino

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  1. Marco Rossi
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  2. Monica Nannipieri
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  3. Marco Anselmino
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  4. Margherita Pesce
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  5. Elza Muscelli
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  6. Gino Santoro
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  7. Ele Ferrannini
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Correspondence to Marco Rossi.

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Rossi, M., Nannipieri, M., Anselmino, M. et al. Skin Vasodilator Function and Vasomotion in Patients with Morbid Obesity: Effects of Gastric Bypass Surgery. OBES SURG 21, 87–94 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-010-0286-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-010-0286-9

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