Bariatric Surgery and Risk of Unemployment and Sickness Absence.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is associated with adverse labor market outcomes. We examine whether undergoing bariatric surgery is associated with better labor market outcomes such as lower risks of unemployment and sickness absence. METHODS: This is a register-based cohort study of 9126 patients undergoing bariatric surgery from 2005 to 2013 and a reference group of 10,328 individuals with obesity. Age: 18-60 years, body mass index (BMI): 32-60 kg/m2. Participants were either working, unemployed, or on sickness absence at baseline. Inverse probability of treatment weighting was used to account for baseline differences between the two groups. Relative risk ratios of labor market participation were estimated at 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years of follow-up. RESULTS: Women who had undergone bariatric surgery had a higher risk of unemployment 1 year (RRR = 1.20 (95% CI: 1.02-1.41)) and 5 years (RRR = 1.23 (95% CI: 1.05-1.44)) after surgery; however, men with bariatric surgery had a lower risk of unemployment after 5 years (RRR = 0.71 (95% CI: 0.55-0.92)). The risk of sickness absence was higher at all follow-up time points for both men and women who had undergone bariatric surgery compared with non-operated references with obesity. CONCLUSIONS: Men undergoing bariatric surgery had a lower risk of unemployment 5 years after surgery compared with non-operated men with obesity; however, women presented a higher risk of unemployment after 5 years. The risk of sickness absence was higher for both men and women up to 5 years after undergoing bariatric surgery.

Changes in relationship status following bariatric surgery.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Bariatric surgery is a major event associated with psychological changes such as improvements in self-esteem, increased autonomy, and better self-value. Such changes could affect the patient's interpersonal relationships; however, little is known about the impact of bariatric surgery on changes in relationship status. In this paper, we aim to test the hypothesis that bariatric surgery is associated with changes in interpersonal relationships such as becoming single for those who were in a relationship or entering a relationship among those who were single before surgery. METHODS: This register-based cohort study consisted of 12,493 patients undergoing bariatric surgery (95% gastric bypass) from 2005 to 2013 and a reference group of 15,101 individuals with obesity between the age of 18-63 with a body mass index between 32 and 60 kg/m2. Transitions between married, divorced, widowed, never-married single, and living with a partner without being married were analyzed by Poisson regression. Additionally, the outcome was dichotomized, and transitions between being single and being in a relationship were also analyzed. All analyses were weighted using inverse probability of treatment weighting based on propensity scores. RESULTS: The overall incidence rate ratio (IRR) of changing status from being single to in a relationship was 2.03 (95% CI: 1.18-2.28), and the overall IRR of changing status from being in a relationship to single was 1.66 (95% CI: 1.50-1.83). CONCLUSION: Bariatric surgery is associated with a higher chance of finding a partner among single individuals, and a higher risk of separating from a partner among individuals in a relationship.

Bariatric surgery and risk of alcohol use disorder: a register-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Bariatric surgery has been associated with altered alcohol metabolism. We examined whether patients undergoing bariatric surgery have a higher risk of developing alcohol use disorder (AUD) compared with individuals with obesity who have not received bariatric surgery. METHODS: In this prospective cohort study, we followed 13 430 patients undergoing bariatric surgery (95% gastric bypass) between 2005 and 2013 and a reference group of 21 021 individuals with obesity for a median of 6.9 years (5th-95th percentile: 4.0-9.8). Four different approaches were used to account for baseline differences between the two groups: (i) adjustment; (ii) inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW); (iii) 1:1 matching based on propensity scores; and (iv) before-and-after analysis comparing the bariatric surgery group with itself 5 years before and after surgery. Cox proportional hazard modelling was used to estimate hazard ratios of AUD defined from national registers. RESULTS: When applying the IPTW approach, the hazard ratio (HR) of AUD for bariatric surgery patients was 7.29 [95% confidence interval (CI): 5.06-9.48] compared with individuals without surgery. When employing different approaches (adjustment for baseline variables, matching on propensity scores, before-and-after analyses), results were of similar magnitude. Analysis stratified by time after surgery revealed a higher risk of AUD already within the first year following surgery [HR: 2.77 (95% CI: 1.39-5.53)]. CONCLUSIONS: Patients undergoing bariatric surgery have a higher risk of developing AUD compared with individuals without bariatric surgery. The higher risk observed in this group of patients cannot be explained by differences in baseline characteristics such as socioeconomic factors. Despite the higher risk of AUD, only few individuals developed AUD. Individuals with disabling obesity should therefore not rule out surgery based on these results but rather be aware of negative implications.

Increased Gastrointestinal Surgical Hospital Burden After Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass for Obesity: A Nationwide 5-years Follow-up Study.

OBJECTIVE: To study long-term gastrointestinal surgical hospital burden (hospital readmissions and gastrointestinal surgical procedures) after laparoscopic gastric bypass. BACKGROUND: Little is known about gastrointestinal surgical hospital burden after laparoscopic gastric bypass. METHODS: Danish patients undergoing laparoscopic gastric bypass (BMI >35-50) from January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2013 were included (100% follow-up). The nonsurgical reference group were individuals with BMI of ≥ 30 drawn from The Danish National Health Surveys from 2005 to 2013. The primary outcome was gastrointestinal surgical hospital burden. Secondary outcome was mortality. Age, body mass index (BMI), gender, and calendar time (time of surgery and nonsurgical survey), diabetes status was adjusted for in a multivariate Poisson regression model. RESULTS: 13,582 bariatric surgical patients and 45,948 reference individuals were included with a mean follow-up time of 4.7 years (SD 2.4). The incidence rate ratio (IRR) for hospital re-re-admission was 2.17 higher in the intervention group (95% CI 2.04-2.31). Sensitivity analysis showed that patients operated before 2010 had a higher incidence for re-re-admission than after. IRR for surgical gastrointestinal procedures was 6.56 (CI 6.15-6.99) and 3.04 (CI 3.51-4.17) after 1 and 5 years for the intervention group compared with the reference group. Surgery for internal hernia was the most common abdominal procedure. The mortality odds ratio was 0.84 (CI 0.65-0.96). CONCLUSIONS: Gastrointestinal surgical hospital burden was significantly higher in the first 5 years after gastric bypass compared with a matched nonsurgical reference group of obese citizens.

The cost of endoscopic treatment for walled-off pancreatic necrosis.

BACKGROUND: Use of minimally invasive techniques has reduced mortality in walled-off pancreatic necrosis (WON) but may be costly. The aim of this study was to evaluate the actual costs associated with the endoscopic management of patients with WON. METHODS: We included a retrospective cohort of WON patients treated with endoscopic, transgastric drainage and necrosectomy (ETDN) during 2013-2014. Costs were calculated for six sub-areas based on a micro-costing model. Students T-test and non-parametric analysis of variance were performed to evaluate costs in relation to disease etiology and outcome. RESULTS: We included 58 patients (50% men, median age 57 years). The most common etiologies were gallstones (57%) and alcohol (19%). Nine patients (16%) died during admission. The median length of stay was 50 days (IQR 31 days). Eighteen patients (31%) needed treatment in our intensive care unit with a median length of stay of 16 days (IQR 31 days). The mean costs and standard deviation of costs (SD) per patient were: diagnostic imaging $2,431 ($2,301), laboratory tests $3,579 ($2,477), blood products $982 ($1,734), endoscopic treatment $3,794 ($1,777), medicine $5,440 ($6,656), and ward cost $41,260 ($35,854). The mean total cost was $57,486 ($46,739). Post-ERCP pancreatitis and mortality predicted higher costs. CONCLUSIONS: This study sheds light on the different costs associated with endoscopic treatment of WON. As nearly three quarters of the costs are related to ward care, initiatives aimed at reducing the length of hospital stay may have a great impact on making endoscopic treatment more cost effective.

Validation and calibration of self-reported height and weight in the Danish Health Examination Survey.

BACKGROUND: Body mass index (BMI) derived from self-reported information is widely used and the validity is therefore crucial. We aim at testing the validity of self-reported height and weight, and to test if the accuracy of self-reported information can be improved by calibration by testing if calibration improved the ability to predict diabetes. METHODS: Data from Danish Health Examination Survey (DANHES) was used. 15 692 participants who had both filled out questionnaire and participated in health examination, and 54 725 participants with questionnaire alone, were included. Data was analyzed using Pearson's R, Cohens Kappa, linear regression and Cox-regression. Self-reported values of height and weight were calibrated using coefficients obtained from linear regression analysis. To evaluate if the calibration improved the ability to predict diabetes, Akaike's information criterion was used. RESULTS: Self-reported height, weight and BMI were highly correlated with measured values (R ≥ 0.92). BMI was under-reported by 0.32 kg m-2 and 0.38 kg m-2 in women and men. The hazard ratio (HR) (95% confidence interval) for diabetes according to measured BMI was 2.09 (1.89-2.27) and for self-reported BMI was 1.60 (1.50-1.70) per 5 kg m-2. Calibrated values of self-reported BMI improved the predictive value of BMI for the risk of diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: Self-reported height and weight correlated highly with physical measurement of height and weight. Measured values of BMI were more strongly associated with diabetes risk as compared to self-reported values. Calibration of the self-reported values improved the accuracy of self-reported height and weight.

Hospital contacts with alcohol problems prior to liver cirrhosis or pancreatitis diagnosis.

AIM: To evaluate prior hospital contacts with alcohol problems in patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis and pancreatitis. METHODS: This was a register-based study of all patients diagnosed with alcoholic liver cirrhosis or pancreatitis during 2008-2012 in Denmark. Hospital contacts with alcohol problems (intoxication, harmful use, or dependence) in the 10-year period preceding the diagnosis of alcoholic liver cirrhosis and pancreatitis were identified. RESULTS: In the 10 years prior to diagnosis, 40% of the 7719 alcoholic liver cirrhosis patients and 40% of the 1811 alcoholic pancreatitis patients had at least one prior hospital contact with alcohol problems. Every sixth patient (15%-16%) had more than five contacts. A similar pattern of prior hospital contacts was observed for alcoholic liver cirrhosis and pancreatitis. Around 30% were diagnosed with alcohol dependence and 10% with less severe alcohol diagnoses. For the majority, admission to somatic wards was the most common type of hospital care with alcohol problems. Most had their first contact with alcohol problems more than five years prior to diagnosis. CONCLUSION: There may be opportunities to reach some of the patients who later develop alcoholic liver cirrhosis or pancreatitis with preventive interventions in the hospital setting.

Presence of alcoholic steatohepatitis, but no selective histological feature, indicates an increased risk of cirrhosis and premature death.

OBJECTIVE: The prognostic impact of early stages of histologically confirmed alcoholic liver disease is uncertain. Our aim was to determine the risk of cirrhosis and premature death, and identify prognostic markers, in patients with biopsy-proven alcoholic steatohepatitis - and to compare prognosis in patients with alcoholic pure fatty liver and the general population. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Patients with biopsy-proven alcoholic fatty liver disease diagnosed during 1976-1987 were identified. Data were collected from medical records, the Danish National Patient Registry and the Registry of Causes of Death. All biopsies were re-examined and morphological findings assessed. A reference cohort matched for age and gender was created. Cox proportional hazard models adjusted for age and gender were used to analyse differences in mortality and cirrhosis development, as well as the prognostic impact of histological and biochemical parameters. RESULTS: Two hundred and twenty-five patients with fatty liver and 111 with steatohepatitis were followed for median 13 and 9.7 years, respectively. There was a significantly higher risk of developing cirrhosis amongst patients with steatohepatitis compared to both patients with fatty liver (p < 0.001) and the reference cohort (p < 0.001). Mortality was significantly higher in patients with steatohepatitis compared to patients with fatty liver (p = 0.046) and the general population (p < 0.001). No histological or biochemical parameters with prognostic significance for mortality were identified. CONCLUSION: Presence of steatohepatitis indicates an increased risk of cirrhosis and premature death. However, none of the histological parameters defining steatohepatitis can independently identify patients at risk for premature death.

Validation and Optimization of an Ex Vivo Assay of Intestinal Mucosal Biopsies in Crohn's Disease: Reflects Inflammation and Drug Effects.

Crohn's disease (CD) is a chronic illness demanding better therapeutics. The marketed biologics only benefit some patients or elicit diminishing effect over time. To complement the known methods in drug development and to obtain patient specific drug responses, we optimized and validated a known human explant method to test drug candidates and pathophysiological conditions in CD intestinal biopsies. Mucosal biopsies from 27 CD patients and 6 healthy individuals were collected to validate an explant assay test where the polarized tissue was cultured on a novel metal mesh disk, slightly immersed in medium imitating an air-liquid interphase. After culture in high oxygen for 24 hours with or without biological treatment in the medium, biopsy integrity and penetration of antibodies was measured by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Nine cytokines were quantified in the conditioned medium as a read-out for degree of inflammation in individual biopsies and used to evaluate treatment efficacy. The biopsies were well-preserved, showing few structural changes. IHC revealed tissue penetration of antibodies demonstrating ability to test therapeutic antibodies. The cytokine release to the medium showed that the assay can distinguish between inflammation states and then validate the known effect of two treatment biologics confirmed by a detection panel of five specific cytokines. Our data also suggest that the assay would be able to indicate which patients are responders to anti-TNF-α therapeutics, and which are non-responders. This study demonstrates this version of an ex vivo culture as a valid and robust assay to assess inflammation in mucosal biopsies and test of the efficacy of novel drug candidates and current treatments on individual patients-potentially for a personalized medicine approach.

[Barriers for the use of traditional clinical data]. / Barrierer for brug af rutinemæssigt opsamlede kliniske data.

Data from electronic medical records can be used in describing clinical problems not covered by traditional clinical databases or traditional quality assurance systems. In this article three main barriers for the use of these data are identified: system knowledge, legislation and technical barriers. Legislative deregulation and implementation of strategic initiatives to further the use of the data is suggested.

[Growing need for surgery as the number of elderly rises in Denmark]. / Der er stigende behov for operationer med stigende antal af ældre i Danmark.

In Denmark, the elderly population is growing. In the article, data from the Danish Healthcare Registry (2005-2012) was summarized for hospital admissions and outpatient contacts with surgery in patients above 75 years. Also, the number of surgical procedures and surgical-related costs in 2020 were estimated based on demographic data and the rates surgery in 2012. The number of surgical procedures and surgical-related hospital costs will increase by 27.8% from 2012 to 2020, corresponding to the increase in the number of elderly citizens. New strategies and further political prioritization is needed to meet the rising age-related challenges.