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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Robert J. Love, DO, MS, Dept of Psychiatry, University of Texas Health Sciences Center in San Antonio, 6900 North Loop 1604, San Antonio, TX 78249, 210 458-6226, ashley11love@yahoo.com, Ashley S. Love, DrPH, MPH, MS, Dept of Health and Kinesiology, University of Texas at San Antonio, 6900 North Loop 1604, San Antonio, TX 78249, and Steven Bower, MD, Dept of Surgery, Wilford Hall Medical Cente, Lackland Airforce Base, San Antonio, TX 78254.

Objective: It has been previously been suggested that patients' psychological makeup may be predictive of post-surgical adjustment in other surgical populations. The main objective of this study was to determine if antidepressant use had any differential effects on outcomes observed for patients who underwent successful GBS with respect to maintaining weight loss and health related quality of life.

Method: Retrospective analyses of 450 charts of patients who underwent gastric bypass surgery from 2000-2003 were performed. Of these charts, 116 contained complete follow-up information. Two groups, antidepressant group (n=48) and non-antidepressant group (n=68) were compared. Repeated analyses of variance with one factor were performed for the three time points.

Result: There was a significant decrease of body mass index (p=.0005) and a significant increase of SF-36 measure across 8 subscales at the end of 12 months regardless of the group membership: general health (p=.0001), mental health (p=.0001), role physical (p=.0001), role emotion (p=.0001), physical functioning (p=.0001), social functioning (p=.0001), vitality (p=.0001), and bodily pain (p=.0001).

Conclusions: This study suggests that patients with history of treatment for depression who are seeking gastric bypass surgery should be expected to have similar outcomes when compared to patients without history of psychiatric illness or treatment. Therefore, morbidly obese patients should not be excluded from the gastric bypass surgery on basis of depressive illness.

Learning Objectives:

• At the conclusion of this session, the participant should be able to recognize the association of antidepressant use and health related quality of life on outcomes of gastric bypass patients.

Keywords: Depression,

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered