The summit, taking place in Rome, will highlight how weight loss surgery for morbid obesity has dramatically improved the health of type 2 diabetes patients, as well as research and develop guidelines for the use of surgery in treating diabetes.
San Francisco, CA (PRWeb) February 25, 2007 -- The International Conference on Gastrointestinal Surgery to Treat Type 2 Diabetes will be holding the Diabetes Surgery Summit in Rome, Italy, from March 29-31, 2007. The summit will be discussing and developing guidelines for the use of bariatric surgery to treat type 2 diabetes, and craft an agenda for further research.
Diabetes currently affects 240 million people worldwide, and that number is expected to increase to 380 million by 2025. Type 2 diabetes, which accounts for 90-95% of all cases, is a growing epidemic that places a severe burden on health care services, especially in developing countries.
Conventional bariatric procedures for morbid obesity, such as Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, duodenal switch and vertical gastrectomy, have been shown to improve type 2 diabetes dramatically. Results of surgery have demonstrated a return to normal blood glucose and glycosilated hemoglobin levels in patients, with discontinuation of all diabetes-related medications. Additionally, a return to euglycemia and normal insulin levels have also been observed within days after surgery, suggesting that weight loss alone can't explain why surgery improves diabetes. Recent experimental studies indicate the rearrangement of gastrointestinal anatomy as a primary mediator in the surgical control of diabetes.
Asked to comment on the summit, Dr. Gregg Jossart, a bariatric surgeon with Laparoscopic Associates of San Francisco, stated, "It's very exciting to see these new, unexpected health benefits arise from weight loss surgery. It's a very promising application of bariatric surgery because of the growing epidemic type 2 diabetes has become. I'm very interested to see conclusions from the summit, and review guidelines that leaders in our field develop together at the summit."
In addition to raising awareness about the potential for diabetes surgery, the Diabetes Surgery Summit will also review available data and scientific theories regarding the mechanisms of diabetes control, in an attempt to identify new avenues for diabetes research.
About Laparoscopic Associates of San Francisco
Laparoscopic Associates of San Francisco (LapSF) is a team of surgeons with a compassionate approach to patient care and a proven commitment to laparoscopic advancement for bariatric surgical procedures. Specializing in the four main bariatric procedures: roux-en-y gastric bypass, vertical gastrectomy, LapBand® and duodenal switch, LapSF has performed over 2,000 procedures, and is recognized by the American Society of Bariatric Surgery (ASBS) as a Center of Excellence.
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