Long-term Impact of Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy on Drug Costs of Japanese Patients with Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

PURPOSE: Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is the most common type of bariatric surgery in Japan, and it is the only such procedure covered by national health insurance. The long-term cost of bariatric surgery in Japan has not yet been analyzed. We aimed to evaluate the long-term impact of LSG on the drug treatment costs of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed data from 230 patients who had undergone LSG at our institution for their obesity and T2DM between 2007 and 2018. The clinicopathological data included age, sex, body mass index (BMI), as well as preoperative and postoperative medications for T2DM, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. We then calculated the drug treatment costs for T2DM, hypertension, and dyslipidemia before and after LSG; and we evaluated the remission rates of these obesity-related diseases. RESULTS: The median preoperative body weight and BMI of the 230 patients who underwent LSG were 115 kg and 40.6 kg/m2, respectively. Preoperative drug treatment costs per month per patient for T2DM, hypertension, and dyslipidemia were ¥3795 (¥0-40285), ¥3269 (¥0-14577), and ¥1428 (¥0-19464). Post-operation, the median drug treatment costs for all these diseases became nil. The remission rates of T2DM, hypertension, and dyslipidemia 5 years after LSG were 82.8%, 50%, and 43.8%, respectively. In Japan, the cost of an LSG operation corresponds to 4.75 years of median drug costs to treat T2DM and hypertension. CONCLUSION: In the long term, LSG in Japan is effective both physically and cost-wise for patients with obesity and T2DM.

Bariatric/Metabolic Surgery in the Asia-Pacific Region: APMBSS 2018 Survey.

INTRODUCTION: The Asia-Pacific Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Society (APMBSS) held its congress in Tokyo at the end of March, 2018, and representatives from Asia-Pacific countries presented the current status of bariatric/metabolic surgery in the "National Reports" session. The data are summarized here to show the current status and problems in the Asia-Pacific region in 2017. METHODS: A questionnaire including data of 2016 and 2017 and consisting of eight general questions was prepared and sent to representatives in 18 Asia-Pacific countries by e-mail before the congress. After the congress, the data were analyzed and summarized. RESULTS: Seventeen of 18 countries responded to the survey. The frequency of obesity (BMI ≥ 30) in the 4 Gulf countries was > 30%, much higher than that in the other countries. In total, 1640 surgeons and 869 institutions were engaging in bariatric/metabolic surgery. In many East and Southeast Asian countries, the indication for bariatric surgery was BMI ≥ 35 or ≥ 37, whereas in many Gulf countries and Australia, it was BMI ≥ 40 or ≥ 35 with obesity-related disease. Ten of the 17 countries (58.8%) but only one of the 5 Southeast Asian countries (20.0%) had public health insurance coverage for bariatric surgery. In 2017, 95,125 patients underwent bariatric/metabolic surgery, with sleeve gastrectomy accounting for 68.0%, bypass surgery for 19.5%, and others for 12.5%. Current problems included public insurance coverage, training system, national registry, and lack of awareness and comprehension. CONCLUSION: This summary showed that bariatric/metabolic surgery is rapidly developing along with various problems in Asia-Pacific countries.