Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Editorial
. 2024 Nov 12;16(11):e73554.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.73554. eCollection 2024 Nov.

Long-Term Outcomes of Bariatric Surgery in Iraq: A Call for More Research

Aqeel Shakir Mahmood  1 , Dhafer Mohammed Jasim  2 , Adel Hashim Jebur  3 , Sabah N Abdulraheem  3 , Mustafa Ismail  1
Affiliations
Editorial

Long-Term Outcomes of Bariatric Surgery in Iraq: A Call for More Research

Aqeel Shakir Mahmood et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Bariatric surgery offers significant benefits of weight loss and improvement of comorbidities for morbidly obese patients. Significant and long-term studies around the world have shown that weight reduction is durable, with improvement in the quality of life and resolution of comorbidities after surgery. In Iraq, preliminary studies are encouraging for short-term outcomes, but there is a definite lack of long-term data. This editorial identifies a deficiency in long-term data. It points out that comprehensive longitudinal research is required in Iraq to establish whether the accruable benefits of bariatric surgery are sustainable and to monitor possible complications. Establishing robust, long-term studies will aid in improving patient outcomes, healthcare policies, and contribute valuable data to global research. Collaboration among healthcare providers, researchers, and policymakers is crucial to addressing this gap and enhancing the overall healthcare landscape in Iraq.

Keywords: bariatric surgery; iraq; long-term outcomes; obesity; research.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

References

    1. Long-term outcomes of bariatric surgery: a National Institutes of Health symposium. Courcoulas AP, Yanovski SZ, Bonds D, Eggerman TL, Horlick M, Staten MA, Arterburn DE. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamasurg.2014.2440. JAMA Surg. 2014;149:1323–1329. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Long-term health-related quality of life in bariatric surgery patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Driscoll S, Gregory DM, Fardy JM, Twells LK. Obesity (Silver Spring) 2016;24:60–70. - PubMed
    1. A comparative study of laparoscopic bariatric surgery: an Iraqi experience. Mukhtar RS. Journal of the Faculty of Medicine Baghdad. 2012;54:287–293.
    1. Long-term outcomes after bariatric surgery: fifteen-year follow-up of adjustable gastric banding and a systematic review of the bariatric surgical literature. O'Brien PE, MacDonald L, Anderson M, Brennan L, Brown WA. Ann Surg. 2013;257:87–94. - PubMed
    1. Long-term trajectories in weight and health outcomes following multidisciplinary publicly funded bariatric surgery in patients with clinically severe obesity (≥ 3 associated comorbidities): a nine-year prospective cohort study in Australia. Tan MM, Jin X, Taylor C, et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm11154466. J Clin Med. 2022;11:4466. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources