Are There Gender-Specific Aspects in Obesity and Metabolic Surgery? Data Analysis from the German Bariatric Surgery Registry

BACKGROUND Since January 2005, the status of bariatric surgery in Germany has been examined in conjunction with a quality assurance study of the German Bariatric Surgery Registry (GBSR). All data are registered prospectively in cooperation with the Institute for Quality Assurance in Surgical Medicine at the Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Germany. METHODS Data are registered in an online database. Data collection on obesity and metabolic surgery is voluntary, and was started in 2005. In addition, follow-up data are collected once a year. RESULTS Since 2005, 8,293 sleeve gastrectomies, 10,330 Roux-en-Y gastric bypass procedures, and 3,741 gastric banding procedures have been performed in Germany, according to the data of the GBSR. Mean age and mean body mass index of female patients with gastric banding, sleeve gastrectomy, or Roux-en-Y gastric bypass were significantly lower than those of male patients. The incidence of relevant comorbidities was significantly higher in male than in female patients. CONCLUSION Metabolic and obesity surgery is becoming more and more popular in Germany. Data from the GBSR study show significant differences in preoperative comorbidities and postoperative complication and mortality rates between male and female patients. There is a need for further evaluation of gender-specific aspects to optimize patient selection and reduce specific postoperative complications.