Gastric Bypass Surgery And Diabetes

A bariatric surgery procedure normally used for treating people with an abnormal obesity is believed to have a reversing effect on type 2 diabetes, forcing it into an almost instant remission. A recent study by US researchers reported that diabetes patients who underwent the gastric bypass surgery remained free from the disease years after the surgery.

By undergoing a gastric bypass surgery procedure, which consists mainly from removing about two-thirds of the stomach and bypassing food from part of small intestine, the digestive system receives fewer nutrients. Until recently, weight loss alone was considered responsible for this health improvement. However, the new studies show differently; hormonal and metabolic changes that result from this type of surgery are in fact the main factors that mostly influence a reversal of type 2 diabetes.

New scientific study shows more than 80% of those who underwent this type of surgery saw a complete reversal on type 2 of diabetes. Dr. James W. Maher, professor at University in Richmond, pointed that gastric-bypass surgery is more likely to have this effect if performed before the patient becomes insulin-dependent. The study also showed most of the Insulin-dependent patients dropped significantly their dose of required medicine after the surgery.

Gastric-bypass surgery is performed since the 1950’s, but today it is much safer then it was before; the surgery is now performed by laparoscopic means. Without the need for massive incisions, the risks implied by this type of treatment saw a dramatic decrease over the years.

In addition to reducing the amount of nutrients absorbed by the intestines, another effect of the gastric bypass surgery observed only in some of the cases of people with hypertension, was a normalization of the arterial blood pressure. In most of the cases, the improvements in the metabolic condition remained stable many years after the procedure was performed, however there are possible negative consequences following this procedure such as increased kidney stone risk, increased fracture, osteoporosis chances, and postoperative hernia.

Note : The mortality rate from gastric bypass surgery is about 1 out of 350 people. This rate is much depends on general health, age and weight of a patient. Older patients with health and obese problems have a much higher risk compare to their younger, healthier and less obese counterparts. Common causes of death for the surgery are infection, suture line leaks, repiratory problems and pulmonary embolism. Like any other surgery, things can go wrong during a gastric bypass surgery. Patients should understand the probability of something happening during and after the surgery.