T he quick weight loss that occurs after bariatric surgery seems to have an unintended consequence - a greater risk of gallstones, a new study suggests. The rapid loss of pounds was linked to a 10-fold increase in the hospital admissions for pancreatitis, gallstones and other gallbladder conditions. "Gallstones are quite common in post-bariatric surgery patients. Medications called bile acid sequestrants can help, but patients have to take them several times a day," explained study co-author, She's an assistant professor of medicine at NYU School of Medicine and Langone Medical Center in New York City.
In years past, surgeons often removed the gallbladder as part of weight-loss surgeries. However, as weight-loss surgeries have become less invasive, with smaller and smaller incisions, surgeons stopped taking the gallbladder out during the procedure, she said. She's also director of…
