Impact of prior bariatric surgery on risk and severity of COVID-19 infection: A meta-analysis of observational studies

BACKGROUND: The association of prior bariatric surgery (BS) with infection rate and prognosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remains unclear. We conducted a meta-analysis of observational studies to address this issue. METHODS: We searched databases including MEDLINE, Embase, and CENTRAL from inception to May, 2022. The primary outcome was risk of mortality, while secondary outcomes included risk of hospital/intensive care unit (ICU) admission, mechanical ventilation, acute kidney injury (AKI), and infection rate. RESULTS: Eleven studies involving 151,475 patients were analyzed. Meta-analysis showed lower risks of mortality [odd ratio (OR)= 0.42, 95% CI: 0.27–0.65, p < 0.001, I(2) = 67%; nine studies; 151,113 patients, certainty of evidence (COE):moderate], hospital admission (OR=0.56, 95% CI: 0.36–0.85, p = 0.007, I(2) =74.6%; seven studies; 17,810 patients; COE:low), ICU admission (OR=0.5, 95% CI: 0.37–0.67, p < 0.001, I(2) =0%; six studies; 17,496 patients, COE:moderate), mechanical ventilation (OR=0.52, 95% CI: 0.37–0.72, p < 0.001, I(2) =57.1%; seven studies; 137,992 patients, COE:moderate) in patients with prior BS (BS group) than those with obesity without surgical treatment (non-BS group). There was no difference in risk of AKI (OR=0.74, 95% CI: 0.41–1.32, p = 0.304, I(2) =83.6%; four studies; 129,562 patients, COE: very low) and infection rate (OR=1.05, 95% CI: 0.89–1.22, p = 0.572, I(2) =0%; four studies; 12,633 patients, COE:low) between the two groups. Subgroup analysis from matched cohort studies demonstrated associations of prior BS with lower risks of mortality, ICU admission, mechanical ventilation, and AKI. CONCLUSION: Our results showed a correlation between prior BS and less severe COVID-19, which warrants further investigations to verify.