OBJECTIVEThere is a paucity of data on the impact of bariatric surgery in type 1 diabetes (T1D). The aim of this review was to quantify the overall effects of bariatric surgery in obese patients with T1D.
METHODSWe searched PubMed, Scopus, ISI Web of Knowledge, and Google Scholar from their inception to December 2015 to identify all relevant studies of bariatric surgery in adult obese patients with T1D.
RESULTSThe review included 17 studies with 107 individuals, including 10 case series and 7 case reports. Overall, the dominant procedure was gastric bypass (n = 70; 65%). All studies reported a significant reduction in excess weight. A significant reduction in weight-adjusted daily insulin requirements was shown in all case series except one. Pooled mean 6 SD of pre-and postoperative glycated hemoglobin (HbA 1c ) for the entire cohort with available data (n = 96) was 8.4 6 1.3% and 7.9 6 1.1%, respectively (P = 0.01). In addition to common postoperative complications, profound glycemic changes (diabetic ketoacidosis and hypoglycemia) and gastrointestinal dysmotility symptoms (prolonged ileus and acute gastric remnant dilation) have been reported. No surgical mortality was reported.
CONCLUSIONSBariatric surgery leads to significant weight loss in severely obese patients with T1D and results in a significant improvement in insulin requirements and glycemic status. The favorable metabolic effects of bariatric surgery may facilitate medical management of and cardiovascular risk reduction in T1D in the setting of severe obesity. Diabetic ketoacidosis and hypoglycemia are potentially serious complications. Short-term results of bariatric surgery in patients with T1D are encouraging, but larger and longer-term studies are needed.Patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) constitute about 5-10% of all cases of diabetes. Large epidemiologic studies indicate that the worldwide incidence of T1D has been increasing in recent decades (1,2). T1D is associated with serious long-term complications that affect the cardiovascular system, eyes, kidneys, and nervous system and predispose to certain infections (3), which can lead to substantial increased mortality rates compared with the nondiabetic population (4,5).The prevalence of obesity among youth with T1D in the U.S. was found to be 12.6% (6). Overall, approximately 50% of patients with T1D are currently obese or overweight, and between 20 and 40% meet the criteria of metabolic syndrome, depending on the study population and the diagnostic criteria used (7). Excessive