medwireNews: Gastric bypass surgery benefits obese patients with type 2 diabetes in many ways, but such benefits come at a cost, show data presented at the ADA’s 78th Scientific Sessions in Orlando, Florida.
Vasileios Liakopoulos (University of Gothenburg, Sweden) reported that gastric bypass significantly reduced the risks for all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease (CVD), fatal CVD, acute myocardial infarction, and congestive heart failure, as well as hyperglycemia, amputation, cancer, and renal disease by a significant 22–67% in the 5321 patients studied, compared with 5321 matched controls.
However, the surgery also significantly increased the risks for psychiatric disorder, alcohol abuse, malnutrition, and anemia by a magnitude of 1.3–2.9.
The rate of adverse events related to surgery, such as additional gastric surgery, abdominal pain, and bowel obstruction were also more common in the gastric bypass patients than in controls, but Liakopoulos noted that the rate was no higher than that previously reported in patients without diabetes who undergo the same surgery.
Speaking to medwireNews, Liakopoulos said that the pros of gastric bypass surgery outweigh the cons, which is why it is offered to patients. The key question is how we can increase the chances of success and minimize the problems.
This can be done by “taking individual factors into account and providing optimal education and support postsurgery."
He added: "Better selection of patients for such treatment could probably also improve results.”
By Laura Cowen
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