Study Shows Dramatic Improvement for Diabetics After Lap-Band

In a recent study, 95% of diabetics undergoing Lap-Band surgery achieved remission or dramatic improvement in their diabetes following the procedure. This information was reported by a MedPage Today article produced in conjunction with the American Heart Association.

The information discussed in this article comes from the two-year mark of a five-year study, known as the Lap-Band AP Experience study, or APEX. This study was designed in 2008, and is following 395 patients at multiple centers nationwide.

95% of Diabetics Show Remission or Improvement with Lap-Band

Of the study’s 395 participants, only 47 came into the study with a diagnosis of diabetes. After treatment with Lap-Band surgery, 43 of these patients showed remission or improvement of their diabetes. Those that went into remission had a 22.8% decrease in body mass index (BMI), while those who improved and those whose diabetes stayed the same averaged about 18% BMI improvement.

Lap-Band was also found to provide improvements in a wide range of other medical conditions, including:

• • 91% decrease in high blood pressure

• • 91% decrease in gastric reflux

• • 92% decrease in osteoarthritis

• • 77% decrease in hyperlipidemia

• • 86% decrease in sleep apnea, called significant by study authors, “given that it is another cardiovascular risk factor.”

The study authors reported that the data suggests possible ways to predict if patients will experience remission of their diabetes. The two leading predictors were the total amount of weight lost due to surgery and the length of time that patients had suffered from diabetes. The seriousness of the diabetes also seemed to influence the chances of experiencing remission.

The authors of the study noted no differences in safety for patients undergoing the procedure with or without diabetes.

As this report was created at the two-year mark of a five-year study, further information will be available in the future. This should provide the study authors with more detailed data from which to draw further conclusions more definitively.