There was a study done in 2022. This study looked at a type of surgery called bariatric surgery. This surgery changes your digestive system.
People usually get it to help them lose weight. The study found something interesting. It seems that people who get this surgery may be more likely to get epilepsy. Epilepsy is a brain condition that causes seizures.
The study’s leader was a man named Jorge G. Burneo. He is a doctor from Western University in Canada. He says that bariatric surgery is good for treating obesity.
Obesity means being very overweight. It can cause other health problems, like high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.
Bariatric surgery helps with these conditions. But, the study found a downside. It looks like people who have the surgery are at higher risk of getting epilepsy.
The doctors looked at medical records. They wanted to find people who had the surgery in Ontario, Canada, over six years. But, they didn’t include everyone.
They left out people who already had seizures, epilepsy, or some mental disorders. They also left out people who abused drugs or alcohol. In the end, they included 16,958 people who had the surgery in the study.
They compared these people to others. They found 622,514 people who were also obese but didn’t get the surgery. They followed all these people for at least three years.
What The Study Found
They found out that 73 people out of those who had the surgery got epilepsy. This is about 0.4%. On the other hand, 1,260 out of the people who didn’t have the surgery got epilepsy. This is about 0.2%.
The researchers also calculated the rates of epilepsy. They took into account other factors that could influence epilepsy. Things like diabetes and high blood pressure.
They found that 50 out of every 100,000 people who had the surgery got epilepsy. But only 34 out of every 100,000 people who didn’t have the surgery got it.
People who had the surgery were 45% more likely to get epilepsy. People who had a stroke after the surgery were even more likely. They were 14 times more likely to get epilepsy.
What This Means for You
So, what does all this mean? Well, it’s not all bad. Bariatric surgery can still be a good way to lose weight. It can help with health problems caused by being overweight.
But, if you’re thinking about getting the surgery, there’s something you should do. Talk to your doctor. Discuss the pros and cons. This study suggests that one of the risks might be getting epilepsy later on.
Looking Ahead
The doctors said their study wasn’t perfect. They couldn’t always check how overweight people were. They think that this might change their results.
Even so, they think that more research is needed. Future studies should look into epilepsy as a possible risk of bariatric surgery. They want to understand more about this link.
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The study was published in Neurology.
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