Alhassane, Diallo, Fabrizio Andreelli, François Pattou, Caroline Guillot, Herve Servy, Constant Josse, Maud Robert, and Florence Galtier. Research Article in Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases (Juillet 2023)
Background: Although bariatric surgery (BS) is recommended for patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and moderate to severe obesity, only approximately 2% of patients undergo surgery.
Objectives : To compare the knowledge and perception of BS to that of other treatments for diabetes among patients with diabetes.
Setting : French social media platforms
Methods : A self-administered questionnaire was distributed from May 13th to Jun 3rd, 2020, via different French social media), including patients with T2DM (main target), and patients with Type 1 diabetes (control population). Different profiles of reluctance to BS were identified using a factorial analysis.
Results : Of the 4481 responders (50.4% women, 33.9% over 65), 60% had T2DM. Of the 1736 patients who had heard of BS (38.7%), 1493 declared they never addressed it with their physician. Among T2DM patients, BS is the treatment that elicits the most negative response, with more than 10% showing reluctance. Four reluctance profiles were identified: cluster 1 (43.4%), fear of consequences on their eating habits and irreversibility of the procedure; cluster 2 (34.9%), fear of poorer diabetes control; cluster 3 (9.3%), fear of surgical risk; and cluster 4 (12.4%), fear of side effects. In all clusters, the opinion of their physician would be the most important factor to change their mind.
Conclusion : Bariatric surgery for T2DM is rarely addressed in routine medical visits. Fear of operative risks and irreversibility of the procedure largely explains the reluctance to BS. Information and education campaigns on the benefit of metabolic surgery for patients with T2DM remain necessary.
(Publication) Alhassane, Diallo, Fabrizio Andreelli, François Pattou, Caroline Guillot, Herve Servy, Constant Josse, Maud Robert, and Florence Galtier. 2023. “Perceptions of Bariatric Surgery in Patients with T2DM: Data from a Self-Administered Questionnaire.” Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases, July. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soard.2023.06.012.