Surgery For Diabetes

Weight loss surgery is helping patients with type 2 diabetes

Severe obesity carries with it serious health dangers, including an increased risk of such conditions as heart disease, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, diabetes and even death. When it comes to diabetes, obesity is the main cause of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Weight loss surgery has been shown to be an effective treatment for type 2 diabetes in people who are morbidly obese. "We have seen, time and again, ho bariatric surgery has helped resolve diabetes in our patients, which allows them to get off medications and improve their health and overall quality of life," said Terence Clarke, MD, board certified surgeon with Ellis' nationally recognized Bariatric Care Center.

About Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

T2DM is the most common form of diabetes, and has been linked with obesity. The increased rates of T2DM directly correlate to increasing rates of obesity. T2DM is a chronic and progressive disease that tends to grow worse over time, often leading to stroke, heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, amputations, impotency, depression and other serious health conditions.

Treatment

Type 2 diabetes can be improved when people make lifestyle changes such as exercising more and eating healthier. In many cases, medications or insulin are prescribed to control blood sugar levels. According to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, weight loss surgery has been shown to carry a number of benefits for obese patients who have type 2 diabetes, including:

• improving and/or curing type 2 diabetes mellitus in 90% of patients by reducing blood sugar and percent glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c);
• reducing the amount of medication the patient requires;
• improving other serious obesity-related health conditions, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, asthma, arthritis, depression, and cholesterol abnormalities;
• improving quality of life;
• and helping patients to live longer.

Is Surgery Right for You?

Bariatric (weight loss) surgery is a recommended treatment option for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and a BMI of 35 or more. With any surgical procedure, you should consult with your physician to weigh the risks and benefits and determine the best course of treatment.

For more information, call the Bariatric Care Center at 518.243.1313.