Type 2 Diabetes And Bariatric Surgery

Bariatric Surgery Promising for Obese Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

A breakthrough in support of bariatric surgery for obese patients with diabetes was achieved recently when 48 multidisciplinary organizations came together to update existing diabetes treatment protocols to now include metabolic/bariatric surgery to control blood sugar and reduce cardiovascular risk! *

 

Additionally, the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) has developed important and helpful information on this topic that we would like to share with you.

Did you Know?

• Someone in the world dies from complications associated with diabetes every 10 seconds.
• Diabetes is one of the top ten leading causes of U.S. deaths.
• One out of ten health care dollars is attributed to diabetes.
• Diabetics have health expenditures that are 2.3 times higher than non-diabetics.
• Approximately 90 percent of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), the most common form of diabetes, is attributable to excessive body fat.
• If current trends continue, T2DM or pre-diabetic conditions will strike as many as half of adult Americans by the end of the decade. (according to the United Health Group Inc., the largest U.S. health insurer by sales).
• The prevalence of diabetes is 8.9 percent for the U.S. population but more than 25 percent among individuals with morbid obesity.
• Metabolic and bariatric surgery is the most effective treatment for T2DM among individuals who are affected by obesity and may result in remission or improvement in nearly all cases.

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM)

Type 2 diabetes(T2DM) is the most common form of diabetes, accounting for approximately 95 percent of all cases. Obesity is the primary cause for T2DM and the alarming rise in diabetes prevalence throughout the world has been in direct association increase rates of obesity worldwide. T2DM leads to many health problems including cardiovascular disease, stroke, blindness, kidney failure, neuropathy, amputations, impotency, depression, cognitive decline and mortality risk from certain forms of cancer. Premature death from T2DM is increased by as much as 80 percent and life expectancy is reduced by 12 to 14 years.

Current therapy for type 2 diabetes includes lifestyle intervention (weight-loss, appropriate diet, exercise) and anti-diabetes medication(s). Medical supervision and strict adherence to the prescribed diabetes treatment regimen may help to keep blood sugar levels from being excessively high although medications and lifestyle changes cause remission of the disease. In fact, T2DM often worsens with time, requiring even greater numbers of medication or a higher dosage to keep blood sugar under control. For this reason, T2DM has been considered a chronic and progressive disease.

Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and Type 2 Diabetes

Nearly all individuals who have bariatric surgery show improvement in their diabetic state. Bariatric surgeries performed in more than 135,000 patients were found to affect type 2 diabetes in the following ways:

Surgery improves type 2 diabetes in nearly 90 percent of patients by:

• lowering blood sugar
• reducing the dosage and type of medication required
• improving diabetes-related health problems

Surgery causes type 2 diabetes to go into remission in 78 percent of individuals by:

• reducing blood sugar levels to normal levels
• eliminating the need for diabetes medications

Health Improvements

• Cause the improvement or remission of T2DM to last for years

We are excited to see progress being made in acceptance of obesity as a disease process and the effectiveness of bariatric surgery in improving the health and quality of life for patients affected by obesity. 

If you suffer from Type 2 Diabetes, have a BMI of 30 or higher and have had difficulty controlling your blood sugar and side effects caused by diabetes, we encourage you to share this information with your physician and have a discussion about the potential benefits of bariatric surgery as an acceptable treatment option for you.  Contact The Bariatric Center of Kansas City at 913-677-6319 to learn more about bariatric surgery as an effective treatment option for patients with Type 2 Diabetes.

 

*Updated Recommendations from AACE and ADA

Source: http://asmbs.org/patients/surgery-for-diabetes