Alcohol abuse and dependence before and after bariatric surgery: a review of the literature and report of a new data set.

BACKGROUND To review the published data on alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence after bariatric surgery and to assess the prevalence of alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence in a sample of bariatric surgery patients, both before and after surgery. All participant data were collected from patients who had undergone gastric bypass at a Midwestern hospital. METHODS The participants were contacted by mail 6-10 years after surgery and asked to complete the Post-Bariatric Surgery Appearance Questionnaire. RESULTS The results of the analysis indicated that a small percentage of the sample appeared to spontaneously develop alcohol abuse or dependence after bariatric surgery. CONCLUSION The results of the present study will be useful in understanding the likelihood of bariatric surgery patients developing alcohol abuse and dependence after surgery. However, additional research is needed to fully understand the risk of this outcome.