Seki Y, Kasama K, Yokoyama R, et al. - Greater clinical- as well as cost-effectiveness of bariatric surgery (BS), compared with medical treatment (MT), was evident for mildly obese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Japan.

• A retrospective study using real-world data in Japan.

• There were 78 patients in the BS group and 238 patients in the MT group.

• At 1 year, the diabetes remission rate was 59.0% and 0.4% in the BS group and in the MT group, respectively.

• In the BS and MT groups, 75.6% and 29.0% of the patients, respectively, achieved optimal glycemic control of glycated hemoglobin <7.0%.

• A reduction in the median monthly drug costs for metabolic syndrome, from $US126.5 (at baseline) to $US0.0 (at 1 year), was achieved in the BS group, whereas it rose from $US52.4 to $US58.3 in the MT group.