Background and objective: Weight change after colectomy for ulcerative colitis is unknown. The main objective of this study was to describe weight change during surgical management of ulcerative colitis.
Methods: All patients, underwent a subtotal colectomy, then a proctectomy with J ileal pouch anal anastomosis protected by an ileostomy, and finally an ileostomy closure in the context of ulcerative colitis at the Nancy University Hospital from May 2014 to October 2020, were included. For each patient, his healthy weight, preoperative weight and postoperative weight were recorded for each step of surgery.
Results: Twenty-six patients were included. The median body mass index of healthy weight was 23.3 kg/m2. Before subtotal colectomy, the median body mass index decreased to 21.3 kg/m2, a reduction of 8.5%. One month after subtotal colectomy, the median body mass index was at its lowest level of 20.8 kg/m2, which represented a 10.7% decrease from the healthy weight. Thereafter a significant increase in body mass index was observed before the proctectomy, reaching the threshold of 22.8 kg/m2, an increase of 8.7% from the lowest level. After the last surgical time, which corresponds to the ileostomy closure, the body mass index was 23.2 kg/m2, this threshold was comparable to the healthy weight body mass index.
Conclusion: Our study showed for the first time that after colectomy for ulcerative colitis, patients regained their healthy weight, which constitutes a reassuring message for patients before surgery.
Keywords: Ulcerative colitis; colectomy; surgery; weight.