Bariatric surgery increases fracture risk

ROCHESTER, Minn., June 18 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say weight-loss surgery patients were 1.8 times more likely than others to fracture a bone.

The study also found the fractures were especially common at the hand and foot. The risk of hand fracture was more than three times greater than average and foot fracture risk was nearly four times greater.

"It is currently unclear why fractures are more common after bariatric surgery, especially at the hand and foot," study co-author Dr. Jackie Clowes of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., said in a statement. "Although aggressive calcium and vitamin D supplementation after surgery may well help, it may still be insufficient to prevent the increased risk of fracture."

The researchers reviewed records available for 292 Mayo Clinic bariatric surgery patients from1985-2004 -- and have so far analyzed data for 97 patients. The patients' average age was 44 years and 86 were women. Follow-up averaged seven years.

Ninety percent of the patients had the most common type of surgery used to treat medically complicated obesity -- gastric bypass. The others had either gastric band surgery or biliopancreatic diversion.

The results were presented at the annual meeting of The Endocrine Society in Washington.