Effect of sleeve gastrectomy on patients with diabetes mellitus

Background: Limited data are available evaluating the effect of sleeve gastrectomy on the control of DM. Our objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of sleeve gastrectomy in improving glycemic control of obese patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) at a research clinic. Methods: A retrospective review of a prospectively maintained database collected between January 2005 and January 2007 was conducted. A total of 30 patients with DM who had undergone laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy were studied. At the 2- and 6-month follow-up visits, we analyzed the variation in glycosylated hemoglobin, fasting blood glucose, and body mass index. Results: Of the 30 patients with 6 months postoperative follow-up, 22 (73%) had been taking medications for type 2 DM preoperatively. Resolution of DM was observed in 27% at 2 months and 63% at 6 months of follow-up. Glycosylated hemoglobin decreased from 6.36 +/- .82 (n = 14) preoperatively to 6.02 +/- .57 (n = 11) at 2 months and 5.92 +/- .33, (n = 12) at 6 months after surgery. The body mass index decreased from 46.12 +/- 10.86 (n = 30) preoperatively to 38.27 +/- 6.59 (n = 30) at 2 months and 35.78 +/- 5.11 (n = 29) at 6 months after surgery. Patients with a shorter duration of DM (<5 yr) and better weight loss after surgery achieved greater resolution rates. Conclusion: The improvement and resolution of DM in obese patients has been observed as a result of weight loss after sleeve gastrectomy. (Surg Obes Relat Dis 2009;5:429-434.) (C) 2009 American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. All rights reserved.