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
. 2025 Aug;35(8):3038-3046.
doi: 10.1007/s11695-025-07992-5. Epub 2025 Jun 24.

Gastrointestinal Symptoms and Health-Related Quality of Life Following Metabolic Bariatric Surgery: A Prospective Cohort Study

Lee Shyang Kyang  1 , Imogen Hines  2 , Emma Thomas  3 , Alexa Seal  3 , Richard Harrison  2   4 , Denbigh Simond  2   4 , Nicholas Williams  5   6   7
Affiliations

Gastrointestinal Symptoms and Health-Related Quality of Life Following Metabolic Bariatric Surgery: A Prospective Cohort Study

Lee Shyang Kyang et al. Obes Surg. 2025 Aug.

Abstract

Background: Weight loss and improvement in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) following metabolic bariatric surgery (MBS) are well documented. However, there is varied and inconclusive data on postoperative gastrointestinal symptoms.

Methods: A prospectively maintained database of patients in a regional hospital undergoing laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG), Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and one-anastomosis gastric bypass (OAGB) between March 2018 and August 2019 was retrospectively analysed. Gastrointestinal symptoms and HRQoL were measured over 2 years using the Structured Assessment of Gastrointestinal Symptoms Scale (SAGIS) and Short Form 36 (SF-36) standardised health questionnaires, respectively.

Results: A total of 203 patients were included for analysis. There was an improvement in median total symptom burden score from 5.5 to 4.0 at 24 months (p = 0.010). Constipation scores did not change. Nausea and vomiting worsened in the first 6 months (p < 0.001) and then improved back to baseline by 24 months (p = 0.003). Diarrhoea and discomfort scores improved from baseline to 24 months (p = 0.022). Epigastric pain improved from baseline to 24 months (p = 0.021). Median reflux score did not change between 0 and 6 months and then improved to significantly better than baseline at 24 months (p = 0.040). All three surgeries demonstrated sustained weight loss to 24 months. Overall HRQoL and each of the eight domains significantly improved post-surgery.

Conclusion: There was an overall improvement in gastrointestinal symptoms post-surgery. The data reaffirmed sustained weight loss and improvement in HRQoL post MBS.

Keywords: Bariatric surgery; Health-related quality of life; Metabolic bariatric surgery; Obesity; Quality of life.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. O’Brien PE, et al. Long-term outcomes after bariatric surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis of weight loss at 10 or more years for all bariatric procedures and a single-centre review of 20-year outcomes after adjustable gastric banding. Obes Surg. 2019;29(1):3–14.
    1. Welbourn R, et al. Bariatric surgery worldwide: baseline demographic description and one-year outcomes from the fourth IFSO Global Registry Report 2018. Obes Surg. 2019;29(3):782–95.
    1. Driscoll S, et al. Long-term health-related quality of life in bariatric surgery patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2016;24(1):60–70.
    1. Carabotti M, et al. Upper gastrointestinal symptoms in obese patients and their outcomes after bariatric surgery. Expert Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2013;7(2):115–26.
    1. Gu L, et al. Relationship between bariatric surgery and gastroesophageal reflux disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Obes Surg. 2019;29(12):4105–13.

LinkOut - more resources