Limitations of the DiaRem Score in Predicting Remission of Diabetes Following Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB) in an ethnically Diverse Population from a Single Institution in the UK

Abstract

Purpose This study aimed to determine the predictive power of the DiaRem score following Roux-en-Y gastric bypass to identify patients who would have diabetes remission at 1 year in an ethnically diverse population. Methods We performed a retrospective review of 262 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who underwent RYGB at the Imperial Weight Centre, UK, from 2007 to 2014. Data was collected on the parameters required to calculate the DiaRem score as well as pre- and post-surgical weight and the ethnicity of the subjects. Results The studied cohort was ethnically diverse (61.3 % Caucasian, 10.3 % Asian, 5.3 % black, 2.6 % mixed and 20.6 % other). At 1-year post-surgery, there were significant reductions in mean weight (133.4 to 94.3 kg) and BMI (46.7 to 33.3 kg/m2). The mean HbA1c decreased from 8.2 to 6.1 %, and 32.5 % of the cohort underwent either partial or complete remission. 67.8 % of the patients that were classified in group 1 of the DiaRem score (most likely to have remission) had complete remission. However, 22.9 % of the patients predicted to have the least chance of remission had either partial or complete remission. Conclusions In this ethnically diverse cohort, the DiaRem score remains a useful tool to predict diabetes remission in those that have a low DiaRem score (high chance for remission) but was more limited in its predictive power in those with a high DiaRem score (least likely to have remission). Caution must be used in the application of this model in populations other than the US white Caucasian population used to derive the score.