Comparison of Obesity Alleles Among Diverse Demographic Patients

Goals:

1. Establish feasibility of obtaining research consent on patients to collect clinical data, family history, and blood samples.
2. Complete comprehensive genetic analyses on a diverse group of severely obese patients who have undergone bariatric surgery, specifically the primarily non-Caucasian Bellevue population and the Caucasian population of Geisinger Health Systems and NYU Langone Weight Management Program, to help define genetic factors that influence which surgical interventions work best for which patients. The ultimate aim is to rapidly translate these discoveries into practical solutions.

Methods and Procedures: The participants of this study are all patients who have undergone bariatric surgery at Bellevue Hospital, NYU Langone Weight Management Program, and Geisinger Health System. The investigators have already completed this in 200 patients and plan to increase enrollment for a total of 2500 patients. The investigators will collect blood samples on bariatric surgery patients and send the blood to Geisinger for genotyping and analysis. An extra sample of venous blood (about 4 tablespoons or 40ml) will be collected at the time of routine postoperative visits. In addition, the investigators will use information that has routinely been and will be collected during postoperative visits as part of the care that bariatric patients receive. The investigators will look at the electronic medical record to obtain the preoperative weights. This includes questionnaires patients complete and the results of the laboratory tests and other studies.