Does Preoperative Anxiety Decrease When Obesity Is Eliminated?

Abstract

Aim: To determine the effectiveness of weight loss with obesity surgery in reduction of preoperative anxiety by comparing the anxiety levels of the patients before undergoing One Anastomosis Gastric Bypass (OAGB) surgery and before their subsequent surgery.

Material and Method: Sixty patients undergoing OAGB and secondary operations who had gastrectomized were enrolled in the study. The patients were divided into two groups in such a way that the morbidly obese patients who underwent OAGB surgery were included in the Group 1 and the patients who lost weight with OAGB surgery and were then admitted for a second operation were included in the Group 2. The preoperative anxiety levels of all the patients were measured with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI).

Results: The preoperative anxiety levels were found to be high in both groups. There were no statistically significant differences between the groups in terms of both state (STAI-S) (p=0.134) and trait (STAI-T) measurements (p = 0.436).

Conclusion: The preoperative anxiety levels did not decrease with weight loss indicated by reduction in BMI among the patients who underwent OAGB. It has been reported before that the preoperative anxiety as well as anxiety disorders are persistent in such patient groups. Thus, anxiety levels of patients who underwent bariatric surgery should be measured and managed before secondary other operations even if their BMI decreases.