Cortisol/DHEA ratio in morbidly obese patients before and after bariatric surgery: Relation to metabolic parameters and cardiovascular performance

Introduction Bariatric surgery (BS) is the most effective therapy for morbid obesity. Cortisol and DHEA are steroid hormones with opposing effects, thus using Cortisol/DHEA ratio (C/D) rather than the use of either hormone alone has been found to predict health outcomes more reliably. It was interesting to study C/D as an indicator of favorable metabolic and cardiovascular outcomes after BS. Objective To assess C/D in morbidly obese patients before and after BS in relation to metabolic parameters and cardiovascular performance. Patients and methods Forty morbidly obese patients were followed prospectively for 1 year after BS. Fasting blood glucose (FBG), fasting insulin (FI), C/D, lipid profile, high-sensitive CRP (hs-CRP), and echocardiography were done before BS and at 3 months and 1 year post BS. Results A total of 40 morbidly obese patients undergone sleeve gastrectomy. Blood pressure, FBG, FI, hs-CRP, C/D were significantly decreased after BS ( p