The Effects of Bariatric Surgery on Renal, Neurological, and Ophthalmic Complications in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: the Taiwan Diabesity Study

Evaluation of Healthcare Utilisation and Expenditures in Persons with Type 2 Diabetes Undergoing Bariatric-Metabolic Surgery

PURPOSE

Changes in healthcare utilisation and expenditures after bariatric-metabolic surgery (BMS) for people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are unclear. We used the Dutch national all-payer claims database (APCD) to evaluate utilisation and expenditures in people with T2DM who underwent BMS.

METHODS

In this cohort study, patients with T2DM who had BMS in 2016 were identified in the APCD. This group was matched 1:2 to a control group with T2DM who did not undergo BMS based on age, gender and healthcare expenditures. Data on healthcare expenditures and utilisation were collected for 2013-2019.

RESULTS

In total, 1751 patients were included in the surgery group and 3502 in the control group. After BMS, total median expenditures in the surgery group stabilised (€ 3156 to € 3120) and increased in the control group (€ 3174 to € 3434). Total pharmaceutical expenditures decreased 28% in the surgery group (€957 to €494) and increased 55% in the control group (€605 to €936). In the surgery group, 67.1% did not use medication for T2DM in 2019 compared to 13.3% in the control group. Healthcare use for microvascular complications increased in the control group, but not in the surgery group.

CONCLUSION

BMS in people with T2DM stabilises healthcare expenditures and decreases medication use and care use for microvascular complications. In contrast, healthcare use and expenditures in T2DM patients who do not undergo surgery gradually increase over time. Due to the progressive nature of T2DM, it is expected that these differences will become larger in the long-term.

Comparative evaluation of early diabetic outcomes in southeast asian patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus undergoing Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) versus sleeve gastrectomy (LSG)

Obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is an alarming problem globally and a growing epidemic. Metabolic surgery has been shown to be successful in treating both obesity and T2DM, usually after other treatments have failed. This study aims to compare Roux-Y gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy in determining early diabetic outcomes in obese Malaysian patients with T2DM following surgery. A total of 172 obese patients with T2DM who were assigned to either laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) or laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) were analysed up to a year post-procedure. The patients' T2DM severity were stratified using the Individualized Metabolic Surgery (IMS) score into mild, moderate and severe. Remission rates of diabetes were compared between surgical techniques and within diabetic severity categories. T2DM remission for patients who underwent either surgical technique for mild, moderate or severe disease was 92.9%, 56.2% and 14.7% respectively. Both surgical techniques improved T2DM control for patients in the study. Comparing baseline with results 1 year postoperatively, median HbA1c reduced from 7.40% (IQR 2.60) to 5.80% (IQR 0.80) (p < 0.001), mean total antidiabetic medications use reduced from 1.48 (SD 0.99) to 0.60 (SD 0.86) [p < 0.001], insulin usage reduced from 27.9 to 10.5% (p < 0.001), and T2DM control improved from 27.9 to 82% (p < 0.001). The patients had a median excess BMI loss of 69.4% (IQR 34%) and 53.2% (IQR 36.0%) for RYGB and SG respectively (p = 0.016). At one year following surgery, there is no difference between LRYGB and LSG in terms of diabetic remission. LSG is not inferior to LRYGB in terms of early diabetic outcomes. Milder T2DM shows a better response. LSG is a simpler procedure with a lower risk profile and should be considered as an early treatment option for obese patients with T2DM.

Benefits of bariatric surgery on microvascular outcomes in adult patients with type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Microvascular diabetes complications impair patients' health-related quality of life. Bariatric surgery (BS) emerged as a compelling treatment that demonstrated to have beneficial effects on patients with diabetes and obesity.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to synthesize the benefit of bariatric surgery on microvascular outcomes in adult patients with type 2 diabetes.

SETTING

2011-2021.

METHODS

We included both cohort studies and randomized trials that evaluated bariatric surgery added to medical therapy compared with medical therapy alone in the treatment of adult patients with type 2 diabetes. Studies must have evaluated the incidence of any microvascular complication of the disease for a period of at least 6 months. We performed our search using PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, Web of Science, and COCHRANE Central database which was performed from inception date until March 2021. PROSPERO (CRD42021243739).

RESULTS

A total of 25 studies (160,072 participants) were included. Pooled analysis revealed bariatric surgery to reduce the incidence of any stage of retinopathy by 71% (odds ratio [OR] .29; 95% confidence interval [CI] .10-.91), nephropathy incidence by 59% (OR .41; 95% CI 17-96), and hemodialysis/end-stage renal disease by 69% (OR .31 95% CI .20-.48). Neuropathy incidence revealed no difference between groups (OR .11; 95% CI .01-1.37). Bariatric surgery increased the odds of albuminuria regression by 15.15 (95% CI 5.96-38.52); higher odds of retinopathy regression were not observed (OR 3.73; 95% CI .29-47.71). There were no statistically significant differences between groups regarding the change in surrogate outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

Bariatric surgery in adult patients with diabetes reduced the odds of any stage of retinopathy, hemodialysis/end-stage renal disease, and nephropathy composite outcome. However, its effect on many individual outcomes, both surrogates, and clinically significant, remains uncertain.

Obesity in South and Southeast Asia-A new consensus on care and management

Obesity is a chronic disease in which the abnormal or excessive accumulation of body fat leads to impaired health and increased risk of mortality and chronic health complications. Prevalence of obesity is rising rapidly in South and Southeast Asia, with potentially serious consequences for local economies, healthcare systems, and quality of life. Our group of obesity specialists from Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Viet Nam undertook to develop consensus recommendations for management and care of adults and children with obesity in South and Southeast Asia. To this end, we identified and researched 12 clinical questions related to obesity. These questions address the optimal approaches for identifying and staging obesity, treatment (lifestyle, behavioral, pharmacologic, and surgical options) and maintenance of reduced weight, as well as issues related to weight stigma and patient engagement in the clinical setting. We achieved consensus on 42 clinical recommendations that address these questions. An algorithm describing obesity care is presented, keyed to the various consensus recommendations.

Bibliometric analysis of metabolic surgery for type 2 diabetes: current status and future prospects

Metabolic surgery has become a powerful treatment for obese type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Experts have been devoting to the research of metabolic surgery in the treatment of T2DM. The debate continues, and there is no comprehensive statistical and intuitive analysis for it. To explore the current research status, the latest hotspots and the changing trend in this field, we conducted a bibliometric analysis. This paper made a bibliometric analysis based on the data source from Science Core Collection Network (WoSCC). Vosviewer v.1.6.10 software is used to construct a knowledge map. From 2011 to 2020, 1424 peer-reviewed papers on metabolic surgery for T2DM were retrieved. The United States contributed the most publications and gained global impact with the most citations. Obesity Surgery was the most prolific journal in this field. Prof. Schauer Philip R., Prof. Buchwald H. and Prof. Sjostrom L. were the most renowned experts in this aspect. The top cited references discussed the status of metabolic surgery for the treatment of T2DM worldwide and the importance of regular evaluation. The extracted keywords mainly formed three clusters: (1) research on the selection of different metabolic surgery methods; (2) possible mechanisms; (3) improvement of T2DM complications by metabolic surgery. Our study makes a comprehensive and objective analysis of metabolic surgery in obese patients with T2DM, providing valuable information for further clinical application and related scientific research. Researchers can quickly locate research hotspots in a large number of relevant literature.

Obesity-Related Glomerulopathy: Clinical Management

Obesity-related glomerulopathy (ORG) and other obesity-associated kidney diseases pose a major challenge to the treating nephrologist. We review the benefits of weight loss and optimal management of ORG and kidney disease in the setting of obesity. Therapeutic strategies in ORG were limited mainly in the past to weight loss through lifestyle interventions and bariatric surgery, antihypertensive treatment, and renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system blockade. Current approaches to obtain the desired weight loss include novel pharmacologic therapies that have been approved for the treatment of diabetes while offering kidney protection, such as sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide-1-receptor agonists. This review focuses on the nephroprotective role of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system blockade and of these new pharmacologic agents, and on the renal effects of bariatric surgery in chronic kidney disease.

Renal Outcomes 1 Year After Metabolic Bariatric Surgery in a Multi-ethnic Asian Cohort

PURPOSE

Obesity increases the risk of incident chronic kidney disease (CKD) and is one of the strongest risk factors for new-onset CKD even in the absence of metabolic risk factors. Weight loss has been shown to reduce renal hyperfiltration and proteinuria. Metabolic bariatric surgery (MBS) remains an effective treatment for obesity and its metabolic-related complications. However, literature on its impact on renal function remains limited.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This was an observational retrospective study in a tertiary centre in Singapore. MBS cases performed at the centre between 2008 and 2019 were included. The primary outcome measures were estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), calculated using the CKD epidemiology collaboration equation, and albuminuria (defined as urine albumin-creatinine ratio (uACR) > 3.5 mg/mmol) at baseline and 1-year post-MBS.

RESULTS

Five hundred fifty-seven patients were included. One-year post-MBS, median eGFR increased from 110.9 mL/min/1.73 m² (IQR 92.4 to 121.5) to 112.6 mL/min/1.73 m² (IQR 97.3 to 122.3), p < 0.001. Median uACR decreased from 1.00 mg/mmol (IQR 0.40 to 3.55) to 0.70 mg/mmol (IQR 0.40 to 1.80) 1-year post-MBS (p = 0.001). 12.9% of patients had improved CKD staging. The proportion of patients with albuminuria decreased from 24.8% at baseline to 1.89% 1-year post-MBS (p < 0.001). One-year post-MBS, the subgroup with reduced eGFR had significant increases in eGFR (p < 0.001), with a trend towards a reduction in uACR.

CONCLUSIONS

MBS had a positive impact on renal function with modest but statistically significant improvement in eGFR and reduction in albuminuria at 1-year post-surgery. Longer-term data is required to investigate the durability of this impact.

Outcomes of Diabetic Retinopathy Post-Bariatric Surgery in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Bariatric surgery is an emerging therapeutic approach for obese type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients, with proven benefits for achieving target glucose control and even remission of diabetes. However, the effect of bariatric surgery upon diabetic retinopathy is still a subject of debate as some studies show a positive effect while others raise concerns about potential early worsening effects. We performed a systematic review, on PubMed, Science Direct, and Web of Science databases regarding the onset and progression of diabetic retinopathy in obese T2DM patients who underwent weight-loss surgical procedures. A total of 6375 T2DM patients were analyzed. Most cases remained stable after bariatric surgery (89.6%). New onset of diabetic retinopathy (DR) was documented in 290 out of 5972 patients (4.8%). In cases with DR at baseline, progression was documented in 50 out of 403 (12.4%) and regression in 90 (22.3%). Preoperative careful preparation of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), blood pressure, and lipidemia should be provided to minimize the expectation of DR worsening. Ophthalmologic follow-up should be continued regularly in the postoperative period even in the case of diabetic remission. Further randomized trials are needed to better understand the organ-specific risk factors for progression and provide personalized counseling for T2DM patients planned for bariatric surgery.

Metabolic surgery in China: present and future

Obesity and its related complications comprise a serious public health problem worldwide, and obesity is increasing in China. Metabolic surgery is a new type of treatment with unique advantages in weight loss and obesity-related metabolic complications. The pathogenesis of obesity is complex and not yet fully understood. Here, we review the current efficacy and safety of metabolic surgery, as well as recent progress in mechanistic studies and surgical procedures in China. The exciting and rapid advances in this field provide new opportunities for patients with obesity and strike a balance between long-term effectiveness and safety.