Aims:
A group of obese middle-aged Egyptian female subjects treated with intragastric balloon
to induce weight loss was prospectively followed up and reported its effect on their
anthropometric measurements, body composition, fatty liver and co-morbidities.
Methods:
47 middle-aged female patients were enrolled for BIB insertion. Inclusion criteria
were mainly based on the BMI (≥30.0 kg/m2) and on associated co-morbidities. Apart from physical and anthropometric evaluation,
body composition analysis was performed using bioelectrical impedance analyzer (BIA)
to estimate fat mass (FM), body fat percentage (BF %) and fat free mass (FFM).
Results:
Overall, BIB insertion significantly reduced weight from a mean value of 96.82 ± 14.18
kg at baseline to 83.45 ± 12.03 kg after 6 months (p < 0.001). The mean value for
the amount of weight lost at endpoint was 13.36 ± 3.29 kg, while the mean value for
BMI lost at the time of BIB removal was 5.12 ± 1.20 kg/m2, which was a significant reduction compared to baseline values (p < 0.001). Body
fat mass and body fat percentage by BIA were significantly reduced (p < 0.001). However,
there was also a significant decline in fat free mass (< 0.001). Significant favorable
changes in the biochemical markers of metabolic syndrome, HOMA-IR index and liver
profile also occurred. 4.6% of patients showed resolution, while 31.8% showed improvement
in the features of metabolic syndrome.
Conclusions:
This study provides anthropometric, biochemical, and body composition evidence on
significant improvement of metabolic syndrome, obesity associated co-morbidities and
fatty liver after weight loss induced by minimally-invasive and relatively safe technique.
