Gastric reduction surgery helps to get rid of incontinence

The surgical treatment of obesity helps patients to get rid of incontinence, too, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have found out. The respective study was published in the journal JAMA Network Open.

The two most common bariatric surgeries are the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and the axillary gastrectomy.

The researchers studied 1,227 patients who underwent one of the two surgeries. The average age of the patients was 46 years. Before surgery, 52 percent of female participants reported an episode of incontinence at least once a week. But the respective frequency was 20 percent three years after surgery, and 30 percent—seven years later.

Among men, the prevalence of incontinence was 25 percent before surgery, whereas 10 percent three years after surgery, and 15 percent—after seven years.

The long-term sustainability of these improvements is particularly notable given the increased risk of incontinence that could be expected due to the aging of the participants.

Incontinence is a common complaint among overweight adults. Researchers suggest that for obese patients, such results may become another reason to decide on surgery.

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