Long Term Outcomes of Bariatric Patients Treated With Surgery or Endoscopy

GERD is a prevalent condition worldwide, estimated to be around 20-30 % in North America. Obesity is rapidly increasing with an estimated prevalence of 66% in the adult population in the United States. GERD symptoms are common in the obese population with data showing weekly GERD symptoms in 34.6% and erosive esophagitis 26.9% in people with BMI \> 30 Kg/m2. Presently, bariatric procedures are the only sustainable method to address morbid obesity and its resulting comorbidities. There are endoscopic and surgical bariatric procedures. The natural history of GERD symptoms in this population after undergoing a bariatric treatment is scarce or conflicting. Moreover, silent or asymptomatic GERD prevalence has not been well established preoperatively. Evaluation and documentation of GERD may potentially change the planned bariatric procedure and avoid unnecessary additional surgeries or procedures to address symptomatic post-operative GERD. The investigators hypothesized that GERD is more prevalent in patients undergoing surgical bariatric procedures, specifically laparoscopic vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG). This multi-center, prospective, cohort study can potentially clarify current debatable data, based mostly on retrospective studies, and can help clinicians to select the most appropriate bariatric treatment for the patients. Most importantly, by selecting the best approach based on preoperative GERD studies it could prevent long term complications of GERD and further unnecessary procedures for the bariatric patient.