Which Factors Are Associated with a Higher Prevalence of Anemia Following Bariatric Surgery? Results from a Retrospective Study Involving 1999 Patients

Introduction Anemia in obese patients is common and multifactorial and is also a complication of bariatric surgery. The aim of this study is to establish which variables are associated with a higher prevalence of post-bariatric surgery anemia. Methods Retrospective cohort study involving 1999 patients submitted to bariatric surgery with a follow-up period of 4 years. Anthropometric, laboratorial parameters and the presence of comorbidities were evaluated before surgery and during follow-up. Patients were divided into two groups, according to whether they developed anemia, or not. Groups were compared using independent sample T -tests or Chi-squared tests, as appropriate. Univariate binary logistic regression models were used to test the association between the diagnosis of anemia during follow-up and all the possible explanatory variables. Independent variables with an association with the outcome ( p