Study Shows Bariatric Surgery Resolves Most Type 2 Diabetes Cases

A study published in the March 2009 issue of The American Journal of Medicine, shows that bariatric surgery can resolve or improve diabetes in diabetic patients who received weight loss surgery.

Vernon Hills, IL (PRWEB) March 10, 2009 -- A study published in the March 2009 issue of The American Journal of Medicine, shows that bariatric surgery can resolve or improve diabetes in diabetic patients who received weight loss surgery.

The American Journal of Medicine, investigators analyzed 621 studies from 1990 to April of 2006, which showed that 78.1% of diabetic patients had complete resolution and diabetes was improved or resolved in 86.6% of patients as the result of bariatric surgery.

Obesity is a primary risk factor for patients with Type 2 diabetes and 90% of all patients with type 2 diabetes are overweight or obese, according to the study.

Diabetes is a disorder of metabolism, the way the body uses digested food for growth and energy. The most common form of diabetes is Type 2, called noninsulin-dependent diabetes (NIDDM). Ninety to 95 percent of people with diabetes have Type 2. This form of diabetes usually develops in adults over the age of 40, and it is most common among adults over 55.

Diabetes is widely recognized as one of the leading causes of death and disability in the United States. Diabetes is associated with long-term complications that affect almost every major part of the body. It can cause blindness, heart disease, strokes, kidney failure, amputations, nerve damage, and birth defects in babies born to women with diabetes.

Dr. Leslie McClellan, board certified surgeon with the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, is available for interviews on this topic. If you would like to Dr. McClellan regarding the impact bariatric surgery can have on patients with diabetes, please contact Toya Webb at 815-943-8462.

About Dr. Leslie McClellan

Dr. Leslie McClellan is a board certified general surgeon specializing in bariatric surgery at the Mercy Center for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (http://www.youcanchangeyourlife.info) in Harvard and Vernon Hills, Illinois. Dr. McClellan was the first female bariatric surgeon in the state of Illinois, and is a member of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS). Dr. McClellan has also been featured as a guest medical expert in the field of bariatric surgery on medical news television shows, PBS and The Learning Channel. Dr. McClellan is truly one of this country's top bariatric surgeons.