Bariatric Surgery and Diabetes

Up until recently, diabetes was only treatable with medication, but no permanent cure was known; until stomach surgery, known as bariatric surgery, which reduces the stomach size and ,as a result, dramatically lowers what a person can eat. This surgery has two effects, weight loss in a one year period approximately and a second effect: corrects high sugar blood levels three months after the patient undergoes surgery.

Diabetes is…

An illness that shortens life and predetermines diseases related to obesity, even death. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is an increasingly common medical condition affecting approximately 8% of the population of the United States. Of these 25 million people, it is estimated that nearly 7 million are unaware that they have the disease until faced with associated complications.

The American Diabetes Association estimates that 12-25% of hospitalized adult patients have diabetes mellitus (DM). An estimated 25% of diabetic patients will require surgery. Mortality rates in diabetic patients have been estimated to be up to 5 times greater than in non-diabetic patients, often related to the end-organ damage caused by the disease and the occurrence of surgical complications due to infections.

Consequence of infection

Infections account for 66% of postoperative complications and nearly one quarter of perioperative deaths in patients with DM. Data suggest impaired leukocyte function, including altered chemotaxis and phagocytic activity. Tight control of serum glucose is important to minimize infection. The good news of having bariatric surgery at Obesity Control Center in Tijuana, Mexico, physician have reported data showing that bariatric surgery in morbidly obese patients with type 2 diabetes may be beneficial for metabolic glycemic levels, hypertension and renal complications of diabetes.