Associations of weight loss with obesity-related comorbidities in a large integrated health system.

Aims Little is known about the impact of weight loss on developing comorbidities in patients with obesity in real-world settings. Understanding health benefits and associated comorbidities with weight loss are critical to addressing the global obesity health epidemic. This study aimed to determine health outcomes associated with weight loss in individuals with obesity, and to better understand the relationship between disease burden (i.e., prior comorbidities, healthcare utilization) and weight loss in individuals with obesity. Electronic health records (EHRs) represent an important resource to investigate these impacts. Materials and methods We conducted a case-control study using deidentified EHR-derived information from 204,921 patients seen at the Cleveland Clinic between 2000-2018. Patients were ≥20 years of age with BMI ≥30 kg/m2 and ≥7 weight measurements, over ≥3 years. Thirty outcomes were investigated, including chronic and acute diseases, as well as psychological and metabolic disorders. Weight change was investigated three, five, and ten years prior to an event. Results Weight loss was associated with reduced incidence of many outcomes (e.g., type 2 diabetes, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis/non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, obstructive sleep apnea, hypertension) (P 10% was associated with increased incidence of certain outcomes including stroke and substance abuse. However, many outcomes that increased with weight loss were attenuated by disease burden adjustments. Conclusions This study provides the most comprehensive real-world evaluation of health impacts of weight change to date. After comorbidity burden and healthcare utilization adjustments, weight loss was associated with an overall reduction in risk of many adverse outcomes. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.