Abstract 15004: Bariatric Surgery is Associated With Reduced Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Burden in Obese Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: A Propensity-matched Cohort Study

Introduction: Obesity is an increasingly prevalent global health issue and has a considerable disease burden, including numerous co-morbidities. Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) is one such co-morbidity associated with a high mortality rate and prevalence, especially in patients with obesity and concomitant Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Bariatric surgery is an effective intervention for patients with obesity, shown to reduce overall cardiovascular disease risk. However, few studies have quantified the long-term impact of bariatric surgery on ASCVD outcomes in the context of key co-morbidities such as T2DM. Hypothesis: Bariatric surgery will improve long-term ASCVD outcomes in obese patients with T2DM. Methods: A nested, nationwide, propensity-matched cohort study was carried out using the Clinical Practice Research Datalink. The study cohort included 593 patients who underwent bariatric surgery and had no past history of ASCVD. A further 593 patients served as propensity-score matched controls. Patients were followed up for a median time of 47.2 months. The primary composite study endpoint was the incidence of ASCVD defined by a diagnosis of new coronary artery disease (CAD), cerebrovascular disease (CeVD), peripheral arterial disease (PAD), or other miscellaneous atherosclerotic disease. Secondary endpoints included all-cause mortality and the incidence of CAD, CeVD, and PAD individually. Results: Patients who underwent bariatric surgery had significantly lower rates of new ASCVD during follow-up (HR 0.53, CI 0.30-0.95, p=0.032). No significant difference was observed in rates of new CAD (HR 0.69, CI 0.32-1.46, p=0.331), CeVD (HR 0.23, CI 0.00-5.45, p=0.1760) and PAD (HR 0.55, CI 0.21-1.43, p=0.218). The bariatric surgery group also had a lower rate of all-cause mortality (HR 0.36, CI 0.19-0.71, p=0.003) compared to controls. Conclusions: In this study, bariatric surgery was associated with improved ASCVD outcomes, as well as lower all-cause mortality, in patients with obesity and T2DM. These findings support the use of bariatric surgery in treating obesity and reducing the burden of its related comorbidities.