BARIATRIC SURGERY

An end to your struggle with Diabetes

According to the International Diabetic Federation (IDF), India presently has around 61.3 million diabetes patients. Bariatric Surgery offers relief to diabetes significantly. The ‘Centre for Metabolic Surgery ‘  at  Nova Specialty Surgery offers hope for those affected by this disease.

Diabetes is a condition where the amount of glucose in the blood is high because the body cannot use it properly. This is because your pancreas does not produce enough insulin to help glucose enter your body’s cells – or the insulin that is produced does not work properly (also known as insulin resistance).

The numbers of diabetics in India is appalling.  The figures do not represent the real number of those who live with the condition, as nearly 60 percent of diabetic patients never get screened and are not diagnosed because of low awareness.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has projected that the prevalence of diabetes is increasing in epidemic proportions , especially in developing countries.

When you picture a diabetic in your mind, you imagine an obese person who has a compromised lifestyle.  Long considered a disease of the rich, poorer and developing nations are seeing a surge in the numbers for lean diabetics; i.e. people who are thin and diabetic.

Anyone who has nursed a diabetic at home will vouch for the agony associated with long drawn medications. Frequent blood tests and associated illnesses, such as high Bp, heart attacks, brain strokes, kidney failures , nerve damages with amputations, blindness and an early death.

Despite modern medicines and lifestyle modifications over 70 per cent remain uncontrolled diabetics.

Diabetes has long been considered a lifetime disease with no possibility of remission or cure. Bariatric / Metabolic surgery offers relief to diabetics. The ‘Centre for Metabolic Surgery’ at Nova Specialty Surgery offers hope for those affected by this.

The good news is that metabolic surgery promises long term remission and has gained acceptance. International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and American Diabetes Association (ADA) have clarified the role of metabolic surgery for uncontrolled diabetic patients with a BMI of over 27.5 and 35 respectively.

“Long term follow up studies have shown that more than 80 per cent of these will maintain their blood sugar even 14 years after surgery,” says Dr Raman Goel, Head of Bariatric Surgery at Nova Specialty Surgery. “Though some physicians remain skeptical, many offer this option to their diabetic patients regularly,” he adds.

Bariatric surgery in conjunction with 12 months of medical therapy achieved glycemic control in significantly more patients with obesity and uncontrolled type 2 diabetes than medical therapy alone. Another study, published in New England Journal of Medicine, revealed that bariatric surgery resulted  in better glucose control than medical therapy for severely obese patients with type 2 diabetes.

Thanks,

The Times of India,

28/11/2012`