A Cross-Sectional Study of Weight Loss and Metabolic Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Bariatric Surgery

Background: Obesity is a growing global health challenge associated with significant morbidity, mortality, and economic burden. Conventional management strategies such as lifestyle modification and pharmacotherapy often fail to achieve sustainable results in patients with morbid obesity. Bariatric surgery has emerged as the most effective intervention, offering not only durable weight reduction but also improvement or remission of obesity-related comorbidities including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. However, variations in outcomes between different surgical procedures such as sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass remain an area of clinical interest. Objective: To evaluate weight loss and metabolic outcomes in patients undergoing bariatric surgery, with comparison between sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass procedures. Methodology: This cross-sectional analytical study included 345 patients who underwent bariatric surgery. Patients aged 18–65 years with morbid obesity were enrolled, while those with prior bariatric or gastrointestinal surgery and incomplete records were excluded. Baseline demographic and clinical data were collected, and postoperative weight loss and metabolic outcomes were assessed at 6 and 12 months. Weight loss was measured using total weight loss percentage (%TWL) and excess weight loss percentage (%EWL). Metabolic remission was defined as normalization of parameters without pharmacotherapy. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 26, with p < 0.05 considered significant. Results: Of the 345 patients, 198 (57.4%) underwent sleeve gastrectomy and 147 (42.6%) gastric bypass. The mean baseline BMI was 44.3 ± 6.7 kg/m². At 12 months, mean %TWL was 27.8 ± 7.1 in the sleeve group and 29.7 ± 7.6 in the bypass group (p = 0.02), while mean %EWL was 60.4 ± 12.1 vs. 65.2 ± 12.5 (p = 0.01). Complete remission of type 2 diabetes was achieved in 61.2% of sleeve patients and 68.7% of bypass patients, with a greater HbA1c reduction observed after bypass (p = 0.03). Hypertension resolved in 52.9% and 58.0% of sleeve and bypass patients, respectively, while dyslipidemia normalized in 45.7% and 51.9%. Postoperative complications were generally low, though slightly higher after bypass (30%) compared to sleeve (21%). Conclusion: Both sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass result in significant weight loss and improvement in metabolic comorbidities, with gastric bypass demonstrating modestly superior outcomes. Bariatric surgery should be considered not only as a weight reduction procedure but also as a metabolic treatment option for patients with morbid obesity.