Background: The aim of this study is to investigate the pattern of changes in serum albumin level after mini-gastric bypass (MGB) and its association with gender, age, and body mass index (BMI) of the patients.
Methods: This cohort study was conducted on 196 morbidly obese patients undergoing MGB followed for 1 year. The data on BMI, serum albumin level, demographic, anthropometric, biochemical variables and comorbidities were gathered before and after (3, 6, and 12 months) surgery. The trend of changes in BMI and serum albumin of the patients was investigated by repeated measures tests using general linear model (GLM) and generalized estimating equations (GEE) approaches.
Results: The mean age, baseline median BMI, and albumin of the patients were 41.34 ± 11.03 years, 44.54 kg/m2, and 4.00 g/dl, respectively. There was a chronologically significant trend of decline in BMI (P < 0.001). GEE demonstrated no chronologically significant trend in serum albumin (P = 0.278). The trend of changes in albumin was significantly associated only with age grouping and baseline serum albumin level (P = 0.017 and 0.001, respectively). This trend had fluctuations in patients older than 40 years with baseline serum albumin level of 3.50-3.90 g/dl. For patients with any age and baseline serum albumin level of 4.00-4.90 g/dl, this trend was stable in all periods of follow-up.
Conclusion: MGB is an effective technique to lose weight. The trend of changes in serum albumin level was affected by its baseline levels and age.
Keywords: Bariatric surgery; Body mass index; Morbid; Obesity; Serum albumin.