Offer weight loss surgery to diabetics, says NICE

"An expansion of weight loss surgery in England is being proposed to tackle an epidemic of type 2 diabetes," BBC News reports. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended obese people with type 2 diabetes should be offered weight loss (bariatric) surgery. These draft guidelines include new recommendations about the treatment of obesity. In particular, NICE advises that those with recent-onset type 2 diabetes who fulfil certain body mass index (BMI) criteria should have surgery. The recommendations also provide guidance on the use of very low-calorie diets. As is often the case, the proposed NICE recommendations have made a huge media splash, leading to front-page headlines such as the Daily Mail's claim that, "Thousands more to get obesity ops on the NHS". These are draft guidelines, so it is far from certain whether they will become official advice. A consultation will be taking place between July 11 and August 8 2014.   What are the main new draft guidelines? Currently, bariatric surgery is offered to people with a BMI of 40 or more, or those with a BMI between 35 and 40 if they also have another significant and possibly life-threatening disease that could be improved if they lost weight, such as type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure. Patients must have tried and failed to achieve clinically beneficial weight loss by all other appropriate non-surgical methods and be fit for surgery. This recommendation has not...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Diabetes Medical practice QA articles Obesity Source Type: news