Bariatric Surgery as a Treatment for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Narrative Review

Diabetes is a chronic disease with high morbi-mortality and has been considered in the entire world a public health problem. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) that accounts up to 95% of all type of diabetes presents hyperglycemia due to deficient secretion or action of insulin and may lead to microvascular complications, specifically retinopathy, nephropathy and neuropathy. Bariatric surgery (BS) has been proven to be a viable option for the treatment of severe obesity in comparison to conservative methods, with long-lasting weight loss and the resolution of obesity-related comorbidities like T2DM. BS results on diabetes remission were pondered. More researches on the mechanisms by which BS achieves its results are needed. The indications of this kind of intervention for mild obese patients must also be further elucidated.