Causes and countermeasures for weight regain after bariatric surgery / 中华消化外科杂志

ABSTRACT

Although bariatric surgery is the most effective and durable treatment for obesity and related metabolic diseases, weight regain (WR) after surgery is a common problem and cannot be neglected. The causes of WR are complex and require a comprehensive assessment and long-term follow-up conducted by a multidisciplinary team. The treatment for WR should be indivi-dualized according to the anatomical condition, lifestyle habits, psychological state, and compliance of patients. The authors review the current retrospective and prospective studies on the risk factors for WR, and summarize the clinical evidence on the behavioral, pharmacotherapeutic, and surgical interventions. Basing on the available research results, the authors consider that harmonized criteria for WR diagnosis is imperative. It is necessary to further clarify WR predictors, optimal combination of surgical and non-surgical therapies, and to explore the ideal time-point of medication usage by designing prospective studies, which have great importance for maintaining weight loss and preven-tion and treatment of WR after bariatric surgery.