in 8 out of 10 patients, type 2 diabetes was remitted one year after bariatric surgery

Since the introduction of laparoscopic bariatric surgery in Romania by Prof. Dr. Catalin Copaescu, over 7,000 patients have resorted to bariatric interventions to benefit from the remission of obesity and its associated diseases.

According to internal data analyzed by the only center of excellence in bariatric surgery in Romania (according to SURGICAL REVIEW CORPORATION and IFSO-EC), more than 80% of patients with type 2 diabetes, associated with obesity, registered remission of the disease, preventing diabetes complications: no longer require insulin or oral medication and have normal blood glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin levels.

Ponderas Academic Hospital, the only center of excellence in bariatric and metabolic surgery in Eastern Europe with double accreditation, performed an analysis on the evolution of patients after bariatric surgery. The aim was to observe the results recorded by them regarding both weight loss and the remission or improvement of diabetes and other diseases associated with obesity.

Life without type 2 diabetes after bariatric surgery

The data from the analysis show that over 80% of patients with type 2 diabetes, associated with obesity, had normal blood glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin values, effectively preventing the onset or progression of diabetes complications, one year after surgery.

“The results recorded by our patients confirm once again the extraordinary benefit that bariatric surgery brings in their lives. For example, among insulin-dependent patients, the improvement in diabetes is manifested by reducing insulin doses even in the first days after bariatric surgery, and in the following months many patients do not even need any dose of insulin. Specifically, internal analysis shows that 30% of insulin-dependent patients no longer need insulin after the first month after surgery.“, states Prof. Dr. Catalin Copaescu, Excellence Surgeon, Medical Director of Ponderas Academic Hospital.

Sleep apnea and high blood pressure – two other chronic diseases treated by bariatric surgery

More than 70% of patients operated on in the last year had already developed various conditions due to obesity, and among the diseases with the highest incidence are diabetes, sleep apnea, dyslipidemia, hypertension, fatty liver.

In patients diagnosed with sleep apnea (sleep disorder that involves pauses in breathing), 8 out of 10 patients get rid of the disease one year after surgery, according to hospital data. Even in the first month postoperatively, more than 66% manage to improve their sleep apnea.

In addition to diabetes, cardiovascular problems are common in obese patients, so more than 40% of them go from cardiologists directly to bariatric surgery. With the help of bariatrics, more than 33% of patients with hypertension reported normalization of blood pressure in the first 3 months after surgery.

Social and emotional problems, the main reason why patients want to lose weight

According to the study, over 50% of bariatric patients say they have resorted to surgery for socio-emotional reasons: they want to feel better in their skin, regain self-confidence or be accepted into society.

“Once in the doctor’s office, patients begin to tell us all the hardships experienced due to obesity, all the accumulated frustrations. Among the most common and impressive are those small actions that many of us do every day. They are left without a job, they can no longer manage on their own in routine activities such as tying shoelaces, personal care, giving up household activities permanently, they can no longer take their children in their arms and even the few steps on foot are a difficult endeavor.“, adds Dr. Copaescu.

Then, patients remember that the main reasons why they want to lose weight are diseases caused by obesity and improved physical appearance.

“If we look at the last year, we have seen an increase in addressability among patients who want to prevent the onset of diabetes and other diseases associated with obesity. They already have cases of type 2 diabetes or hypertension in their family, they know what complications these diseases can bring and they do not want to reach such complications. As such, it is aimed at bariatric surgery in order to get rid of the problem of obesity before it causes other metabolic diseases with a severe impact on their quality of life. Prevention is starting to play an increasingly important role among Romanians, an aspect that makes us happy and motivates us in the fight against this disease of the current century.“, completes Prof. Dr. Catalin Copaescu.

Women – leading among bariatric patients

Although over 56% of Romanian men are overweight and obese, while 48% of women face this condition, women who have resorted to bariatric surgery are more numerous (66%) than men (34%).

From obese to normal weight in 6 months

According to the internal study, from the first month after surgery, patients lose about 25% of their excess weight, and 3 months after surgery they lose up to 45% of the extra pounds they had before surgery.

Moreover, 6 months after surgery, patients already manage to move from advanced obesity (grade 3 or morbid obesity) to overweight or even normal weight, losing over 60% of excess weight.

Over 300 kilograms weighing the heaviest patient Ponderas

The heaviest patient operated on at Ponderas Hospital weighed just over 300 kg at the time of admission.

One year after the operation, he lost more than 140 kg. In the period of up to 2 years, he managed to lose, in total, over 210 kg of his initial weight.

In the 15 years since the introduction of laparoscopic bariatric surgery in Romania, over 7000 Romanians have undergone weight loss surgeries performed by Prof. Dr. Copaescu and his team.

Currently, Ponderas Academic Hospital is the market leader in metabolic interventions, operating over 60% of all those performed nationwide.

About Ponderas Academic Hospital

Ponderas Academic Hospital, part of the Regina Maria Private Health Network, is the only hospital in Romania with triple international accreditation (bariatric surgery, hernia surgery, colorectal surgery).

Open since 2011, the hospital provides patients with integrated medical services covering all medical and surgical specialties.

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