Prevalence and Correlates of Dumping Syndrome After Bariatric Surgery in Saudi Adults: The Role of Social Determinants and Nutrition Knowledge

Purpose: Dumping syndrome (DS) is a postsurgical complication of bariatric procedures. It is classified into early and late dumping based on occurrence within different postprandial timeframes. This study measures the prevalence of DS among adult patients and its association with social determinants and nutrition knowledge. Patients and Methods: This cross-sectional study used a convenience sampling method via distributing an online validated questionnaires to patients who underwent sleeve gastrectomy or gastric bypass surgery in ≥3 months. Results: Out of 352 participants, 237 (67.3%) had a modified Sigstad weighted DS score of ≥3.26, indicating the presence of DS; 182 (76.8%) had early DS (symptoms within 1 hour postprandially) and 55 (23.2%) had late DS (symptoms 1-3 hours postprandially). Only gender and monthly income showed statistically significant differences between early and late DS patients. No statistically significant associations were found between the DS subtypes and sociodemographic characteristics, although participants' age approached significance (p = 0.052). Type 1 diabetes was significantly associated with DS and affected patients were 6.7 times more likely to experience symptoms. The mean nutrition knowledge score among all the participants was 60.88 (SD = 14.76) suggesting moderate nutrition knowledge. Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of DS (67.3%) among post-bariatric surgery patients in Saudi Arabia, and early DS is more common than late DS. The findings suggest a strong correlation between type 1 diabetes and DS. Nutrition knowledge was moderate but insufficient in key areas that affect postoperative outcomes. The study is novel in reporting a high prevalence of DS among post-bariatric patients in Saudi Arabia and uniquely explores the association of DS with social determinants, nutrition knowledge, and type 1 diabetes-areas less examined in previous research. It emphasizes the imperative need for comprehensive patient education and continuous dietary counseling to improve long-term management and outcomes for bariatric surgery patients.