A new study has revealed that weight loss surgery may improve or prevent kidney problems in obese people with type 2 diabetes.
The research involved 52 obese patients with type 2 diabetes, 40 per cent of whom suffered from a form of kidney disease called diabetic nephropathy, which can lead to kidney failure .
To help them lose weight, most of the patients underwent gastric bypass, a type of bariatric surgery that involves reducing the size of the stomach and allowing food to bypass part of the small intestine.
Five years after the surgery was performed, researchers from the Cleveland Clinic Bariatric and Metabolic Institute in Ohio reported that nearly 60 per cent of the patients who previously had diabetic nephropathy no longer had the condition.
They also noted that only a quarter of those without diabetic nephropathy at the outset eventually developed this complication, compared to an incidence rate of around 50 per cent among type 2 diabetics who don’t have any type of weight loss surgery .
In addition, the five-year remission and improvement rates for type 2 diabetes were 44 per cent and 33 per cent respectively.
Lead investigator, Dr. Helen Henegha, MD, said: “When we started this study, we thought bariatric surgery may just halt the progression of diabetic nephropathy. Instead, over half the patients who had diabetic nephropathy prior to undergoing bariatric surgery experienced remission.”
“This is a remarkable finding that warrants greater consideration of bariatric surgery in this patient population.”
