All obese patients with type 2 diabetes should be assessed for bariatric surgery, says NICE

All obese patients with type 2 diabetes should be assessed for weight loss surgery, new guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) state.1 If the guidance is followed, at least 5000 more procedures would be carried out each year in the United Kingdom.

The new updated guideline recommends that bariatric surgery should be offered to everyone with a body mass index ≥35 who has recent onset type 2 diabetes, defined as diagnosed in the previous 10 years. Weight loss surgery should also be considered for people with type 2 diabetes whose body mass index is 30-34.9. Both groups of patients should be referred to a specialist (tier 3) weight management service.

The new guidelines also say …