Diabetes is a systemic chronic disease that has become one of the major public health crises in China, and its dangers are painful for many patients. Diabetes is closely related to seasonal changes, and blood glucose levels are especially lowest during the summer months of the year, making it the best time to treat diabetics. However, there are many diabetic patients who are concerned about traditional treatment methods, such as the need to take long-term glucose-lowering drugs or insulin, which will not bring a great burden to life; some patients are also worried that the treatment will not lead to further aggravation of the disease, etc. So, is there any new treatment method that can reduce their worries?
Surgical procedures bring a new light to diabetic patients.
Today, there is a new answer to this question – metabolic surgery. Recently, the world’s first “International Joint Guidelines for Metabolic Surgery in Type 2 Diabetes” was published, which for the first time includes metabolic surgery as one of the standard treatments for type 2 diabetes. The Guidelines state that surgery is preferred for Asian patients with type 2 diabetes with a BMI ≥ 37.5 kg/m2 and for those with a BMI ≥ 32.5 kg/m2 with poor glycemic control; metabolic surgery can be considered for those with a BMI ≥ 27.5 kg/m2 with poor glycemic control. This is the first time that metabolic surgery is included in the international diabetes treatment guidelines.
What are the advantages of surgical procedures to lower blood sugar?
Although medications for diabetes treatment are constantly updated and upgraded, less than half of patients with type 2 diabetes are able to meet their targets. And a growing body of evidence suggests that metabolic surgery is more effective than any pharmacological treatment or lifestyle intervention strategy. For diabetic patients with concomitant obesity, it is difficult to achieve effective weight loss and improved glucose metabolism with traditional treatments. By modifying or reconstructing the anatomical sequence of the gastrointestinal tract, metabolic surgery can not only reduce weight, restore normal body fat distribution, improve insulin resistance and insulin secretion function in various ways, and reverse obesity, diabetes and its chronic complications, but also significantly improve a series of other conditions, such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, non-alcoholic fatty liver, sleep apnea syndrome, bone and joint It can also significantly improve a series of other conditions, such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, non-alcoholic fatty liver, sleep apnea syndrome, bone and joint diseases and other related comorbidities, and greatly improve the quality of life of patients.
Are you a candidate for metabolic surgery?
Metabolic surgery is indeed an effective means of making obese patients beautiful and healthy, but it is not weight loss in the ordinary sense. For patients who are not suitable for this surgery, doctors will conduct strict screening and have strict quantitative indicators: that is, obese patients are clearly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and have a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 27.5 kg/m2, are between 16 and 65 years of age, and have a disease duration of no more than 15 years. These conditions are met before weight loss surgery can be considered. Surgery is preferred for diabetic patients with a BMI ≥ 32.5 kg/m2, while obese patients with a BMI ≥ 35 kg/m2 should be treated aggressively with surgery regardless of whether they have comorbid diabetes. Simple slimming for non-obese people does not require surgery, and attention should be paid to lifestyle changes. Eat less, exercise more, and aerobic exercise is recognized as the best way to lose weight in a healthy way.
Although metabolic surgery has become a new option for the treatment of type 2 diabetic patients, surgery still carries risks, and patients need to be treated symptomatically according to their own constitution, not blindly follow the crowd! The specific situation should still go to a regular hospital to consult a doctor!