National Study Finds Weight Loss Surgery Cures Diabetes 

Sentara Doctors Echo Findings

 Watch a video of Dr. Mark Fontana of Norfolk Surgical Group talking about weight loss surgery and type 2 diabetes.

Norfolk, VA – June 11, 2009 – A recent study published in the March 2009 issue of The American Journal of Medicine, indicates weight loss surgery eliminates all symptoms of type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes, an obesity-induced condition, affects about 20 million Americans.

Study investigators analyzed outcomes following weight loss surgery in 135,246 type 2 diabetics. A full 78% of patients had no symptoms of diabetes after surgery, while 87% of patients were either improved or resolved of the condition.

Local surgeons experience similar results at two Sentara weight loss surgery centers of excellence, which perform more than 6 times the weight loss surgery threshold set by national accrediting bodies.

“Through weight loss surgery, diabetes is cured at a very high rate,” says bariatric surgeon Mark Fontana, MD with Sentara Metabolic and Weight Loss Surgery Center in Norfolk, Virginia. “Some of our gastric by-pass patients, who have had diabetes for years, actually lose their diabetes before they leave the hospital,” he continued.

Study findings also suggest a correlation between surgery type and resolution of diabetes. Gastric banding yielded 56.7% resolution; gastroplasty 79.7%, and gastric bypass 80.3%.

About Diabetes*
Of the 20.8 million Americans with diabetes, 90 percent to 95 percent have type 2 diabetes.
People with type 2 diabetes often develop the disease after age 45, but are not aware they have diabetes until severe symptoms occur.

Type 2 diabetes is more prevalent among African Americans, Hispanic/Latino Americans, and Native Americans.

Type 2 diabetes continues to grow rapidly due to an increased number of older Americans and a greater prevalence of obesity and a sedentary lifestyle. 

About Sentara Weight Loss Surgery
Sentara Norfolk General Hospital and Sentara CarePlex Hospital are Hampton Roads weight loss surgery centers of excellence, with accreditation by national bodies based on clinical quality, safety, surgical outcomes and overall performance. Doctors at these centers perform six times the surgery volume set forth by national accrediting bodies.

*Sources: National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disorders, and the American Diabetes Association

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