PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Warning to bariatric surgery patients: Take your supplements, for eye's sake

Vitamin A deficiency can cause eye problems, warn researchers

2014-12-01
(Press-News.org) Obese patients who have undergone bariatric surgery to shed weight should take the supplements prescribed to them to protect their eyes. Taking in too little Vitamin A, in particular, could in some cases actually cause night blindness, dry eyes, corneal ulcers, and in extreme cases total blindness. This advice comes from Rui Azevedo Guerreiro and Rui Ribeiro of the Centro Hospitalar de Lisboa Central in Portugal, who reviewed what little research there currently is on the occurrence of eye conditions following bariatric surgery. The review is published in Springer's journal Obesity Surgery.

Three different types of bariatric surgery are performed to help with weight loss in obese patients: restrictive (such as adjustable gastric banding and gastric sleeve), malabsorptive, and mixed procedures (including Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and biliopancreatic diversion) that combine the first two types of surgeries.

One of the drawbacks of these operations is that patients can develop nutrient deficiencies. This happens, for example, when patients vomit more often, eat less or develop food intolerances. People who have had restrictive bariatric surgery, for instance, often follow an unbalanced diet which subsequently influences their intake of the correct combination of vitamins and micronutrients. Moreover, malabsorptive and mixed bariatric surgeries decrease the surface area of the small intestine that plays an important role in the uptake of nutrients. As a result, too little vitamins and micronutrients may be absorbed properly by the body.

Nutrient deficiencies caused by bariatric surgeries can, in the mid to long term, cause eye-related complications that can affect almost every component of the optic system. It can lead to conditions such as night blindness, ulcers, scarring and changes to the cornea, involuntary eye movement (called nystagmus), paralysis of the eye muscles (ophthalmoplegia) or dry eyes.

It is the lower intake of especially vitamins A, E, and B1 (thiamine) and copper that worry Azevedo Guerreiro and Ribeiro, as these help with the normal functioning of the eye and optic system. Vitamin A deficiency, in particular, is linked to eye-related complications developing after bariatric surgery. However, the results of the handful of studies done on the subject is inconsistent. In general, Vitamin A deficiency and eye-related complications seem to be more prevalent after malabsorptive bariatric surgery.

"There is a risk that bariatric surgery patients, who do not take the vitamin and mineral supplements prescribed to them, could develop eye-related complications because of nutrient deficiencies," emphasizes Azevedo Guerreiro. "Such complications after bariatric surgery are not frequent, but if undetected, they can have devastating consequences for the patients."

"The real prevalence of these complications is unknown but the rarity of clinical reports that link nutrient deficiency with eye-related complications could also mean that no one is looking for such problems," adds Ribeiro.

INFORMATION:

Reference: Azevedo Guerreiro, R. & Ribeiro, R. (2014). Ophthalmic Complications of Bariatric Surgery, Obesity Surgery, DOI 10.1007/s11695-014-1472-y



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Many people with missing teeth don't need dentures

2014-12-01
The latest research from the University of Adelaide challenges current thinking on whether many people with tooth loss really need dentures. The findings have major implications for public dental health resources and costs for patients. Studies conducted by the University's Australian Research Center for Population Oral Health in the School of Dentistry have found that people with tooth loss do not have their quality of life interfered with provided they still have a certain number and type of teeth left. In dentistry terms, these patients are considered to have "shortened ...

Mass extinction led to many new species of bony fish

Mass extinction led to many new species of bony fish
2014-12-01
Today, ray-finned fish, which belong to the bony fish, are by far the most biodiverse fish group in both salt- and freshwater. Their spectacular variety of forms ranges from eels, tuna, flounders and angler fish all the way to seahorses. With around 1,100 species, the second most biodiverse group is the cartilaginous fish, which are almost exclusively marine and include sharks, rays and chimaeras. Exactly why bony fish managed to prevail in different habitats is the subject of debate: Do they have a better body plan, which is suited to more ecological niches than that of ...

Research finds clue to why females live longer than males

2014-12-01
A study from the University of Exeter has found that male flies die earlier than their female counterparts when forced to evolve with the pressures of mate competition and juvenile survival. The results could help researchers understand the mechanisms involved in ageing. The research, published in the journal Functional Ecology, used populations of the fly Drosophila simulans that had evolved under different selection regimes. The study shows that mate competition (sexual selection), along with survival (natural selection), is tougher on male ageing than it is on females ...

Lapses in infection control associated with spread of severe respiratory virus MERS, according to study

2014-12-01
Washington, DC, December 1, 2014 - Little is known about the often fatal virus known as Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), but researchers have identified gaps in infection control as a major culprit in all eleven published cases involving healthcare-associated transmission of the virus. The full findings of the review can be found in the December issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the official publication of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC). Researchers from the Hellenic Center for ...

Research confirms how global warming links to carbon emissions

2014-12-01
Research by the University of Liverpool has identified, for the first time, how global warming is related to the amount of carbon emitted. A team of researchers from the Universities of Liverpool, Southampton and Bristol have derived the first theoretical equation to demonstrate that global warming is a direct result of the build-up of carbon emissions since the late 1800s when man-made carbon emissions began. The results are in accord with previous data from climate models. The theoretical equation revealed the complex relationship between carbon dioxide levels ...

Restrooms: Not as unhealthy as you might think

2014-12-01
WASHINGTON, DC - December 1, 2014 -- Microbial succession in a sterilized restroom begins with bacteria from the gut and the vagina, and is followed shortly by microbes from the skin. Restrooms are dominated by a stable community structure of skin and outdoor associated bacteria, with few pathogenic bacteria making them similar to other built environments such as your home. The research is published ahead of print in Applied and Environmental Microbiology. In the study, the investigators characterized the structure, function, and abundance of the microbial community, ...

Can cockpit automation cause pilots to lose critical thinking skills? Research says yes

2014-12-01
In the wake of recent airline crashes, major news networks have aired concerns about pilots' ability to accurately fly "by hand" when the airplane's cockpit automation systems fail. Although many of these concerns have centered on manual skills such as operating the airplane's controls, new human factors/ergonomics research suggests that pilots' thinking skills, such as navigating, remaining aware of the status of the flight, and diagnosing troublesome situations, are most vulnerable in today's automated cockpits. In a new study published in Human Factors, researchers studied ...

Plant used in traditonal Chinese medicine may treat metabolic diseases and obesity

2014-12-01
New research published in the December 2014 issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology, shows that a component found in in the plant, Glycyrrhiza uralensis, may inhibit the development of metabolic disorders by stopping the activation of NLRP3, a protein involved in the disease process. Specifically, the researchers identified isoliquiritigenin as having the ability to attenuate high-fat, diet-induced obesity, type 2 diabetes and hepatic steatosis in mice. "Identification of small compounds that inhibit the NLRP3 inflammasome is required to design effective therapeutics," ...

SPLUNC1: How lungs protect themselves from infection

2014-12-01
Scientists have taken an important step toward a new class of antibiotics aimed at stopping lung infections. They found that a protein found in large airways, called "SPLUNC1," binds to lipids critical to defending against bacterial and viral infections, as well as keeping lung tissue flexible and hydrated. This discovery moves SPLUNC1 closer toward becoming a viable therapy and was reported in the December 2014 issue of The FASEB Journal. "By shedding light on the mechanisms and interactions between various elements of pulmonary surfactant, our findings represent significant ...

How early trauma influences behavior

2014-12-01
This news release is available in German. Traumatic events leave their mark. People exposed to a traumatic experience early in life are more likely to be affected by illnesses such as borderline personality disorder or depression. However such experience can also have positive effects in certain circumstances. Thus, moderate stress in childhood may help a person develop strategies to better cope with stress in adulthood. Further, it has long been recognised by psychologists and psychiatrists that the negative effects of trauma experienced by parents can be seen in ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Being physically active, even just a couple of days a week, may be key to better health

High-fat diet promote breast cancer metastasis in animal models

A router for photons

Nurses and AI collaborate to save lives, reduce hospital stays

Multi-resistance in bacteria predicted by AI model

Tinker Tots: A citizen science project to explore ethical dilemmas in embryo selection

Sensing sickness

Cost to build multifamily housing in California more than twice as high as in Texas

Program takes aim at drinking, unsafe sex, and sexual assault on college campuses

Inability to pay for healthcare reaches record high in U.S.

Science ‘storytelling’ urgently needed amid climate and biodiversity crisis

KAIST Develops Retinal Therapy to Restore Lost Vision​

Adipocyte-hepatocyte signaling mechanism uncovered in endoplasmic reticulum stress response

Mammals were adapting from life in the trees to living on the ground before dinosaur-killing asteroid

Low LDL cholesterol levels linked to reduced risk of dementia

Thickening of the eye’s retina associated with greater risk and severity of postoperative delirium in older patients

Almost one in ten people surveyed report having been harmed by the NHS in the last three years

Enhancing light control with complex frequency excitations

New research finds novel drug target for acute myeloid leukemia, bringing hope for cancer patients

New insight into factors associated with a common disease among dogs and humans

Illuminating single atoms for sustainable propylene production

New study finds Rocky Mountain snow contamination

Study examines lactation in critically ill patients

UVA Engineering Dean Jennifer West earns AIMBE’s 2025 Pierre Galletti Award

Doubling down on metasurfaces

New Cedars-Sinai study shows how specialized diet can improve gut disorders

Making moves and hitting the breaks: Owl journeys surprise researchers in western Montana

PKU Scientists simulate the origin and evolution of the North Atlantic Oscillation

ICRAFT breakthrough: Unlocking A20’s dual role in cancer immunotherapy

How VR technology is changing the game for Alzheimer’s disease

[Press-News.org] Warning to bariatric surgery patients: Take your supplements, for eye's sake
Vitamin A deficiency can cause eye problems, warn researchers