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Lap-Band Surgery & Effects on Diabetes

Nov 21, 2011 | By Marcy Brinkley
Lap-Band Surgery & Effects on Diabetes
Photo Credit diabetic tools monitor image by Photoeyes from Fotolia.com

The term "diabesity" reflects the close link between obesity and type 2 diabetes.
In the United States, the rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes increase every year in epidemic proportions. Approximately 16 million Americans have type 2 diabetes and 1 million more are diagnosed annually, according to John B. Dixon, Ph.D., lead researcher of a study published in the February 2005 issue of Diabetes Care. At least 50 percent of type 2 diabetics in the U.S. are obese and 9 percent are morbidly obese.

Diabetes

Approximately 90 to 95 percent of diabetics have type 2 diabetes, according to Francesco Rubin, author of a report published in the February 2008 issue of Diabetes Care. It is a chronic or long-term condition that involves resistance to insulin or an inability to produce enough insulin. Type 1 diabetes, which appears most often in adolescence, requires treatment with insulin because the patient produces little or none of his own. Type 2 diabetes symptoms are managed with diet, oral medications, insulin or a combination of therapies. Eating a balanced diet, exercising and maintaining a healthy weight helps to preventing type 2 diabetes. Long-term complications of diabetes include damage to the heart, lungs, liver, blood vessels, nerves, eyes and kidneys.

Lap-Band Surgery

Adjustable gastric banding surgery, often called Lap-Band surgery in reference to the more frequently used brand of an adjustable restrictive band, helps morbidly obese individuals lose weight by restricting their food intake. The surgeon loops a hollow silastic rubber band around the upper portion of the stomach, creating a small pouch with a narrow opening into the remainder of the stomach. After surgery, the surgeon periodically adjusts the band by adding or removing saline--a salt water solution--to tighten or loosen it. Lap-Band surgery patients recover quickly and with few complications because the band does not permanently alter the digestive system. However, approximately 5 percent of the procedures fail due to erosion or infection, and some patients regain the weight or fail to lose because their eating habits do not change. Surgeons in the United States may choose either the Lap-Band or the Realize Band for this procedure.

Effect of Lap-Band Surgery on Diabetes

Bariatric surgery procedures, including Lap-Band surgery, have a positive effect on patients with type 2 diabetes, reports Rubin. Although gastric bypass patients experience improvement more frequently, nearly half of Lap-Band patients are able to reduce or eliminate their medications within a few months after surgery. A study of diabetic patients five years after adjustable gastric banding surgery demonstrated that 80 percent had experienced significant improvement, according to lead author Samuel Sultan, M.D., in the July 2010 issue of Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases. Nearly 40 percent no longer required medication to maintain a normal blood glucose level and 71.9 percent required fewer medications.

References

Article reviewed by Julie Mendenhall Last updated on: Nov 21, 2011

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