Impact of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass on regulation of diabetes type 2 in morbidly obese patients

The idea of surgery as treatment for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) was established in the US and was based on observation of patients after bariatric surgery. Resolution of T2DM is observed within a few weeks after surgery, in some cases even during hospitalization. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) on diabetes in morbidly obese patients. We present 73 patients with T2DM who underwent laparoscopic RYGB (LRYGB) to treat morbid obesity. In the group of 73 obese patients (mean BMI = 42.3), there were 41 females and 32 males. Regression of T2DM was observed in 51 patients (69.8%) while hospitalized. In addition, 14 patients' (19.1%) glycemia and HBA1c stabilized within 12 weeks after surgery (total regression rate of 88.9%). The ultimate evaluation of this method of treating T2DM is still lacking and requires several years of meticulous clinical studies. Despite that, considering the high cost of life-long conservative therapy of T2DM and its complications and the severe impact T2DM has on quality of life, surgical metabolic intervention may become the most reasonable solution in many cases.