New Diabetes & Lap Band Study Results

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The findings of the 2 year interim report of the APEX (Lap-Band AP Experience) study show encouraging results for obese patients with type 2 diabetes. Designed in 2008, the APEX study is a multicenter, prospective, open-label, 5-year assessment of severely obese patients undergoing the LAP-BAND AP System surgery. In the report, researchers are presenting data at 2 years post-surgery.

At the study’s baseline, 89 out of 395 patients (23%) had diabetes. Among the diabetic patients with sufficient data to assess their status, 95 percent had achieved either remission or improvement in diabetes. Here are the statistics, as reported by the patients’ physicians:

  • Remission of diabetes achieved by 23 participants (~49%)
  • Improvement of diabetes achieved by 24 patients (~47% )
  • No change in 3 patients (~5%)

The duration of diabetes seemed to be a determinant of diabetes improvement following lap-band surgery.  The average diabetes duration of the ‘remission group’ was just 4 years, and the ‘no change’ group had an average duration of more than double that, at almost 9 years. The researchers suggest that this finding highlights the importance of early surgical intervention for obese people with diabetes.

The patients also achieved improvements in other co-morbidities of obesity, including:

  • Osteoarthritis  (93%)
  • Gastroesophageal reflux disease (91%)
  • Hypertension (91%)
  • Obstructive sleep apnea (86.%)
  • High blood cholesterol (77%)
  • Depression (75%)

These interim results support recent research showing that bariatric surgery should be considered as an effective treatment option for people suffering from both obesity and diabetes. Oregon Weight Loss Surgery offers several effective surgical options for obesity, including gastric banding, gastric bypass, and sleeve gastrectomy. You can learn more about the procedures and our program by registering to attend a free informational seminar.

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