Meta-analysisindependent cross-checkabstract checked I-BAR-131 standard review

Meta-analysis: diabetes returning after bypass

Meta-analysis of Long-Term Relapse Rate of Type 2 Diabetes Following Initial Remission After Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass.

Overview

Yu et al.. Obes Surg 2021 · PMID 34505971 · DOI 10.1007/s11695-021-05692-4

About 3 in 10 people whose diabetes went into remission after bypass later relapsed; relapse was less common than after sleeve.

Does the study support the specific claim? Yes · Methodological quality: moderate

Study explained simply

What did the researchers want to find out?: Relapse after RYGB
How was the study done?: Meta-analysis
How many people, animals or samples were studied?: 17 studies
What was actually found?: Relapse 30%
How large was the observed effect?: HR 0.73 vs SG
What do the results mean in everyday life?: Remission is not always permanent
What are the study's limitations?: Observational
What does it say about Elawady's specific claim?: Supports erosion claim
Do the results apply to Germany and Europe?: Applicable
What can explicitly not be concluded from this study?: Effect on complications

Authors: Yu et al.
Journal: Obes Surg
Year: 2021
Identifier: PMID 34505971 DOI 10.1007/s11695-021-05692-4
Verification: verified – PubMed efetch 2026-10-26 + Crossref API
Retracted: no
Corrections: none
Extent checked: abstract only
Conflicts of interest and funding: COI statement (PubMed record): The authors declare no competing interests.

What is the long-term relapse rate of type 2 diabetes after initial remission following RYGB?

Study design: Meta-analysis – Meta-analysis of cohort studies
Population: Patients with T2D in remission after RYGB
Country: Multinational
Period: not stated in abstract
Sample size: 17 studies
Inclusion and exclusion criteria: Studies reporting long-term relapse after RYGB

Results: Pooled long-term relapse 0.30 (0.26-0.34); remission 0.63 (0.55-0.72); HR 0.73 (0.66-0.81) for RYGB vs SG (lower relapse after RYGB).
Absolute risks: About 30 in 100 remitters relapsed in the long term after RYGB.
Authors' conclusion: RYGB may be preferred for obese patients with T2D due to lower long-term relapse and higher remission vs SG.

Proportions; HR CI symmetric.

Quantifies remission erosion (~30% relapse) and bypass advantage over sleeve.

International.

Supports relapse claim and bypass-vs-sleeve comparison.

Multidimensional assessment
Multidimensional assessment
Authenticity of the source	verified
Methodological quality	moderate
Risk of bias	some concerns
Precision of results	moderate
Directness	direct
Reproducibility	replicated
Consistency with the overall evidence	consistent
Regional transferability	high
Adequacy of the interpretation (by the archive)	not applicable

Relapse predictors.