Obesity and type 2 diabetes are serious chronic diseases associated with complex metabolic dysfunctions that increase the risk for morbidity and mortality.
The dramatic rise in the prevalence of obesity and diabetes has become a major global public health issue and demands urgent attention from governments, health care systems and the medical community.
Bariatric surgery is an appropriate treatment for people with type 2 diabetes and obesity not achieving recommended treatment targets with medical therapies, especially when there are other major co-morbidities.
Surgery should be an accepted option in people who have type 2 diabetes and a BMI of 35 or more.
Surgery should be considered as an alternative treatment option in patients with a BMI between 30 and 35 when diabetes cannot be adequately controlled by optimal medical regimen, especially in the presence of other major cardiovascular disease risk factors.
In Asian, and some other ethnicities of increased risk, BMI action points may be reduced by 2.5 kg/m2.
The morbidity and mortality associated with bariatric surgery is generally low, and similar to that of well-accepted procedures such as elective gall bladder or gall stone surgery. Bariatric surgery for type 2 diabetes must be performed within accepted international and national guidelines. This requires appropriate assessment for the procedure and comprehensive and ongoing multidisciplinary care, patient education, follow-up and clinical audit, as well as safe and effective surgical procedures.
In order to optimize the future use of bariatric surgery as a therapeutic modality for type 2 diabetes further research is required.
