International Diabetes Federation supports surgery for type 2 diabetes in obese patients

In a new position statement, the International Diabetes Federation announced its support for consideration of bariatric surgery earlier in the treatment of eligible patients to help reduce the serious complications that can result from diabetes.

Written by 20 experts in diabetes and bariatric surgery, the IDF position statement was presented at the 2nd World Congress on Interventional Therapy for Type 2 Diabetes in New York.

According to the statement, increasing evidence shows that the health of obese people with type 2 diabetes, including their glucose control and obesity-related comorbidities, can improve substantially as a result of bariatric surgery, under certain circumstances.

The IDF Taskforce on Epidemiology and Prevention of Diabetes convened the expert group with specific goals to:

Develop practical recommendations for clinicians on patient selection and management;
Identify barriers to surgical access;
Suggest health policies that ensure equitable access to surgery; and
Identify priorities for research.

The expert group warned that the situation in low- and middle-income nations presents special considerations because severe obesity is increasing at an alarming rate. As health care resources are limited, bariatric surgery should only be performed where the health budget can afford it, and that the expertise is available for both the surgery and the long-term follow-up, according to the experts.

“This is the first time the IDF or any major international organization has made recommendations on this rapidly developing area of therapy,” Francesco Rubino, MD, chief of the Gastrointestinal Metabolic Surgery Program at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center and director of the 2nd World Congress on Interventional Therapies for Type 2 Diabetes, said in the press release. “It did so because of the urgent need for worldwide expert guidance on the use of bariatric surgery because of the increasing usage. We note the need to establish appropriate measures in education and selection of patients, and safe and standardized surgical procedures.”

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