By Virginia Anderson
WebMD Health News
Sept. 8, 2014 -- Weight loss surgery is an expensive and potentially risky way to treat type 2 diabetes. Yet more studies are showing it can also be very successful -- in some cases, more so than drugs and lifestyle changes.
Despite what experts are calling “remarkable” results, though, they’re not saying weight loss surgery is a cure.
And it’s not for everyone, they stress.
Here’s what they do know: A recent study found that type 2 diabetes can stay in remission for as long as 15 years after weight-loss surgery. Remission happens when a person with diabetes achieves blood sugar levels no longer in the diabetes range without medications for at least one year.
The research bolstered previous shorter-term findings that suggest the surgery somehow changes the body’s metabolism and calms diabetes in certain people.
Surgeons who routinely do the surgery say they're not surprised at the study's findings. It showed that 30% of people with type 2 diabetes were in remission 15 years post-surgery, compared to 7% whose diabetes was managed with drugs and lifestyle changes.
Surgery could be a life-saver for certain obese people with diabetes, experts say. They include people who:
- Have tried to lose weight by traditional methods but could not
- Have had trouble managing their diabetes
- Had had diabetes for less than 4 years
Even among people with diabetes who are good candidates, surgery should not become the first treatment they try, experts say.
“We are absolutely the last stop. We are there for the person who has tried everything,” says Richard Stahl, MD. He's the medical director of bariatric surgery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Recovering from surgery can take up to 2 weeks. Also, people who get surgery must still make major lifestyle changes to keep the benefits.
“It’s not a simple fix, it’s a big ordeal to qualify for, and it’s not simple to recover from,” Stahl says.
Nor is it typically covered by insurance, according to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. The recent findings from this study and several others are expected to add to discussion about whether insurance guidelines should be broadened to include the surgery for less-obese people -- and also about whether surgery is the best way to treat diabetes.
The average cost of weight-loss surgery ranges from $11,500 to $26,500, says Amber Hamilton, a spokeswoman for the society. Costs depend on the type of surgery and where it's done. Three types are common in the U.S. -- bypass, gastric sleeve, and gastric band. Insurance companies vary in their reimbursement policies, Hamilton says. The procedures are covered under the Affordable Care Act in 22 states, she says.
source : Weight Loss Surgery: Diabetes Cure?
