Man in wheelchair loses nearly 50 kilograms! Minimally invasive metabolic surgery to stabilize diabetes

Obesity is the killer of type 2 diabetes. According to clinical statistics, at least two-thirds of people with type 2 diabetes are overweight or obese. To fight diabetes, we must first solve the obesity problem. In the past, treatment for obesity and type 2 diabetes was to control blood sugar with oral hypoglycemic drugs or insulin injections, supplemented with diet and exercise. However, it is now possible to treat diabetes through laparoscopic surgery.

Dr. Xin Mingzhe from the International Metabolic and Physical Medicine Center of China Medical University Annan Hospital said that metabolic surgery can indeed improve type 2 diabetes. (Photo courtesy of Annan Hospital)

Weight loss in diabetic patients can improve diabetes and reduce complications

If diabetes is not well controlled, it may lead to kidney failure, retinopathy and cardiovascular blockage in the long term. If obese diabetic patients lose 5% to 10% of their body weight, they can improve their diabetes and reduce the incidence and severity of complications.

Dr. Xin Mingzhe from the International Metabolic and Physical Medicine Center of China Medical University Annan Hospital said that in the past, weight loss surgery was used to treat morbid obesity, and it was found that in addition to being very effective in changing the patient's appearance and reducing weight, it also improved the three high problems caused by obesity.

Treatment of diabetes via laparoscopic surgery has been included in the guidance white paper

The World Diabetes Federation has included surgical treatment in its diabetes treatment guidelines as early as 2011. The Taiwan Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery has also published a "White Paper on Expert Guidelines for Surgical Treatment of Diabetes". For the treatment of type 2 diabetes, if blood sugar is still poorly controlled with oral or injectable medications, diabetes can be treated through laparoscopic surgery.

The "White Paper on Expert Guidelines for Surgical Treatment of Diabetes" points out that for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, if blood sugar is still poorly controlled despite oral or injectable medication, diabetes can be treated through laparoscopic surgery. (Photo provided by Annan Hospital)

Study: Metabolic surgery can indeed improve type 2 diabetes

Dr. Xin Mingzhe said that according to past research findings in the United States and Taiwan, metabolic surgery can indeed improve type 2 diabetes. Most patients can stop injecting insulin and taking medicine every day, and their glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) can be reduced to below 6.0, which is called remission or even cure.

Bariatric surgery can treat diabetes! Current studies have also found that if the patient is younger, has been ill for a short time, and has not yet used insulin, there is a high chance that they will no longer need to take any blood sugar-lowering drugs after metabolic surgery; but if the patient has been ill for more than 10 years and is taking high doses of insulin, although most patients can remove injected insulin and their blood sugar will improve after surgery, they may still need to take a small amount of medication to control the disease.

Mr. Weng, 55 years old, is a polio patient. His life changed when he was 2 years old due to a high fever and developed polio. I started living in a wheelchair at the age of 40 and have been using it for about 15 years. Due to his restricted movements and his love for drinking shaken beverages, 1 to 2 cups a day, his weight began to increase, from 70 kg to 130 kg, and he suffered from severe sleep apnea. The hospital examination revealed that he also suffered from severe fatty liver with abnormal liver function, high blood lipids and high cholesterol, as well as symptoms of diabetes.

At the end of July 2018, Dr. Xin arranged a minimally invasive gastric reduction and colonectomy for Mr. Weng. The operation was successful and his weight has now dropped to about 82 kilograms. Not only did the body weight drop significantly, but the fasting blood sugar level and fatty liver index also dropped. Due to the patient's poor congenital condition and inability to exercise actively, the medical team initially developed a surgical weight loss plan, hoping that the patient would be more proactive in losing weight through diet. It is believed that reducing weight to the ideal 70 kg is just around the corner.