That surgically manipulating the gastrointestinal tract with duodenal bypass -by bypassing part of the small intestine- cures or improves diabetes is not new. Since the end of the 80’s, research has been carried out.
At that time it was shown that morbidly obese patients who underwent bariatric surgery (obesity surgery) cured their diabetes in 76%, and that 85% improved significantly; this variability depended on the surgical technique. These cures or improvements appear before weight loss.
The objective of metabolic surgery is to cure or achieve a significant improvement in type 2 diabetes mellitus in a diabetic person who, although not morbidly or severely obese, has a body mass index (BMI) below 40.
Subsequently, it was observed that in operated individuals and in experimental animals, metabolic surgery could be considered as an alternative to the failure of dietary and pharmacological treatments for type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Moreover, the treatment of diabetes (with diet, exercise and drugs) is not easy to comply with; it is estimated that more than half of them do not succeed. With surgical treatment, it is as if the person were to diet every day and, moreover, in the right way. And the best thing is that the cure or improvement of diabetes is maintained over time.
It is true, it is a surgical intervention and it has its risks, nowadays it is done by laparoscopy, and performed by an expert surgical team, the risk of mortality is minimal, the same as in a hip prosthesis intervention, 0.3%. It is a totally reversible surgical treatment and, in research over 20 years, it has been observed that patients who have undergone surgery live an average of 15 years longer than those who have not undergone surgery.
Metabolic surgery also corrects hypertension, hyperlipidemia and sleep apnea or OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome).
Who can benefit from surgical treatment?
-People with type 2 diabetes mellitus of less than 10 years of evolution and with preserved pancreatic function.
-People who need oral antidiabetics and/or insulin for not controlling their diabetes.
-Aged between 20 and 60 years
-With a BMI of 35 or more
-When the BMI is less than 35, an individual assessment should be made.
The techniques that obtain a better result is the gastric bypass by laparoscopy, it performs a gastric reservoir of certain capacity and derivations to the intestine to achieve a good digestive tolerability and not to generate excessive nutrient deficiencies.