Metabolic Surgery for Diabetes: A Promising Approach to Better Glycemic Control

Overview of Diabetes and Its Challenges

Diabetes is a chronic condition and its treatment involves lifelong diet and lifestyle modifications and pharmacotherapy (oral hypoglycemic drugs and insulin) that intensifies with the increase in the duration of the disease. Even then meeting adequate glycemic control is difficult and the patient may sooner or later end up with heart, kidney, and eye complications. Metabolic surgery for diabetes is emerging as a promising option for better control and potential resolution of the condition.

Understanding Metabolic Surgery for Diabetes

Metabolic surgeries are emerging as a lifesaver for diabetes patients. Metabolic surgeries help in the control or resolution of diabetes. Patients report improvement in blood glucose levels and a reduction in the number of medications and doses of insulin within months after the metabolic surgery for diabetes. Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy surgery was originally developed as a weight reduction procedure for obesity. In Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy surgery, 70-80% of the stomach is removed leaving a narrow tube.

Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy for Diabetes

Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy surgery not only facilitates weight loss but also improves glycemic control among young, newly diagnosed patients. Sleeve gastrectomy surgery is now considered also as a metabolic treatment for diabetes in obese Diabetics as along with the restrictive element it also brings about certain metabolic and hormonal changes that cause weight loss and improvement in diabetes.

Mini Gastric Bypass Surgery

Mini gastric bypass surgery is another surgery for diabetes.  In mini gastric bypass surgery, a gastric pouch is created which is joined to the intestines, similar to gastric bypass but mini gastric bypass surgery has fewer complications, and at the same time, its impact on obesity and associated co-morbidities is similar.

Alternative Options for Non-Obese Diabetics

For normal-weight persons with diabetes, we have other diabetes treatment options, such as Dudeno Jeunal bypass and Ileal transposition surgeries, though these people should initially be treated with medications.