In other words, they were cured of diabetes, while the drug requirement came down by 10 per cent in the rest of the patients. This was the result of the hormonal changes that the patient underwent after the surgery, felt Dr Modi. Bariatric surgery is usually recommended to people whose Body Mass Index (BMI) is above 40 (normal BMI is 25) or above 35 with co-morbid conditions. Dr Kenneth D'Cruz, head of gastroenterology, Narayana Hrudayalaya, informed that out of the 20 patients on whom he had conducted gastric by-pass surgery, the blood sugar levels showed normalcy within a week of the surgery. This was even before the expected weight loss that would take three to six weeks post surgery. With diabetes now affecting even younger people due to the lifestyle changes, Dr D'Cruz felt that the surgery had maximum benefits for people aged between 35 and 55 years before the disease could progress.
Hope for normal people
Research is underway in the USA, Mexico and Brazil to see whether modification in Bariataric or metabolic surgery could help cure type 2 diabetes in people with normal weight. "During surgery, some hormones get released helping in the functioning of insulin and thus the patient gets cured of diabetes. Evidence in international medical journals also shows that this helps in checking the effects of diabetes too," said Dr Nayak, Director of Nayak Institute of Gastroenterology, who has performed surgery on nine diabetic patients. The surgery is not only expensive but also is excluded from health insurance policies. Bariatric surgery costs anywhere between Rs 1.5 lakh and Rs 4.5 lakh. Besides, the Medical Council of India doesn't recognise this surgery as disease-related. “As it is considered a cosmetic surgery, patients cannot avail of the costs under insurance,” Dr Modi informed.
DH News Service
