Oral iron replacement vs. IV iron treatment in bariatric surgery patients with anemia

Abstract

besity rates in the United States and globally are steadily increasing. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that since 1975, obesity rates globally have nearly tripled. 1 Worldwide in 2016, nearly 2 billion adults were overweight, and of those, 650 million were obese. 1 In the United States, the obesity rate was 39.8% in 2015-2016, and among adults, the rate was 42.8% for those ages 40 to 59 years. 2 Multiple factors infl uence obesity, including environment, lifestyle, stress and other emotional factors, genetics, race, and endocrine factors. 3 Obesity has been linked to multiple medical conditions such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, stroke, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), cardiac disease, and cancer. 4 Most patients with morbid obesity have tried multiple diets without long-term success. Lifestyle changes can result in a 2% to 6% weight loss, but almost 90% of patients will have regained the weight in 1 to 5 years. 5 As such, many patients consider bariatric surgery as a tool to reduce weight and improve or resolve comorbid conditions asso-