COVID‐19 and its Severity in Bariatric Surgery‐Operated Patients

Objective Obesity is a major risk factor for severe forms of coronavirus disease (COVID‐19), but little is known about the post–bariatric surgery (BS) setting. The prevalence of likely COVID‐19 and its risk factors in patients followed up after BS was assessed. Methods A total of 738 patients who underwent BS and were followed up at a university medical center were surveyed. A retrospective comparison of characteristics at baseline, 1 year after BS, and at the time of lockdown was performed between patients with COVID‐19–likely events (CL) based on a combination of reported symptoms and those for whom COVID‐19 was unlikely. Results CL occurred in 62 (8.4%) patients, among whom 4 (6.4%) had a severe form requiring hospitalization and 1 (1.6%) died. The CL group had a higher proportion of persistent type 2 diabetes (T2D) at last follow‐up (36.2% vs. 20.3%, P = 0.01). BMI at the time of lockdown was lower in the CL group (30.2 ± 5.1 vs. 32.8 ± 6.5 kg/m2; P