Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Limited data is available on Liraglutide as a treatment option for weight regain after bariatric surgery. We aim to report the efficacy of Liraglutide as a treatment for weight regain in UAE population who underwent bariatric surgery.

Methods: Retrospective analysis was performed on all patients with weight regain after bariatric surgery who received Liraglutide (dose range 0.6 up to 3.0 mg/day) while attending bariatric clinic of Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (AD, UAE) over two years from 2017 to 2019.

Results: 56 patients who received Liraglutide for weight regain after bariatric surgery during the study period were identified. 49 patients were included for final analysis as 7 patients stopped Liraglutide (5 due to severe nausea and vomiting and 2 due to pregnancy). Mean age was 37.9±9.1 years and majority of patients were female (81.6%). 59.2% had Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG n=29), 36.7% had laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB, n=18) and 4.1% had Laparoscopic gastric banding (n=2). Mean presurgical weight was 123.2 ±17.8 kg and mean BMI was 58.4±10.2 kg/m². Mean minimal body mass index after surgical intervention was 33.5±5.1 kg/m² and mean weight was 85.7±12.9 kg. Mean weight at Liraglutide initiation was 95.1±13.3 kg and mean BMI of 36.9±4.4 kg/m². After 3 months, mean weight and BMI reduction were 5.4±9.8 kg and 1.3±1.1 kg/m² respectively (P<0.01).

Conclusion: Liraglutide can be considered as a safe and effective adjunctive treatment for weight regain after bariatric surgery. Further studies are required to identify clinical predictors that could affect the response to Liraglutide in these patients.