星期二, 二月 09, 2010
National Taiwan University Min-Sheng Diabetes Center to Publish Research on Breakthrough Treatment of Diabetes
Gastric bypass surgery can cure type II diabetes! National Taiwan University and Min-Sheng Hospital announced the results of its collaborative research regarding Type 2 diabetes.
At present, Taiwan has more than 1 million people with diabetes, but more than half of these cases have not been treated effectively, resulting in blindness, kidney dialysis, and multiple other complications in the future.
After 3 years of clinical trials, the research teams from National Taiwan University and Min-Sheng have succeeded in proving that type II diabetes is a gastrointestinal disease and that gastrointestinal surgical methods can be an effective treatment for the disease. Further, they determined that the most important factor determining the efficacy of treatment is the length of time one has suffered from the disease. The results of this study are a major breakthrough.
Since the discovery of insulin, diabetes has been considered a pancreatic disease. This concept in type I juvenile diabetes is correct. However, in over 90% of type II diabetes cases, this assessment may be incorrect. In recent years, the medical community has found that the regulation of sugar absorption and insulin secretion in the gastrointestinal tract may have caused hormonal problems which in turn may have led to the occurrence of type II diabetes.
The research partnership was co-chaired by Professors Lee Ming-Chuang and Li Wei-Jie. They randomly selected 60 patients with type II diabetes at an average age of 45 . They split these patients into 2 groups, both receiving surgery. The first group received a simple stomach surgery which reduced the size of the stomach in order to more effectively treat the patients at a reduced weight. The second group’s surgical method consisted of gastric bypass surgery, effectively restructuring the gastrointestinal tract. The post operative groups had the same degree of weight loss, an average weight reduction of 25 kg, however, the group receiving the gastric bypass surgery had a much better outcome than the first group. 93.3% of patients in the second group met the standard cure for diabetes, whereas only 46.7% of those in the first group were cured.
The results indicate that the length of time one suffers from diabetes is the most important factor to consider when deciding upon the correct treatment. For those suffering from diabetes for less than 5 years, the pancreatic secretion of insulin is good and the stomach reduction surgery will be very effective. On the contrary, those suffering from the illness for longer than five years need the gastric bypass surgery to get better results.
Mr. Su, a 47 year old diabetic, has suffered from high blood pressure and diabetes for two years. He was taking one type of hypoglycemic and two kinds of blood pressure medications. After witnessing a friend suffer a stroke due to complications arising from diabetes, Mr. Su became very nervous, prompting his decision to have the surgery. After the surgery, his blood pressure and blood sugar levels have become normal. Now, he’s proud to share with others the fact that he no longer has to take any medicine, instead relying on daily acupuncture treatments.
Another patient who received the surgery, 45 year old Mr. Mo, had dealt with diabetes for 10 years while taking countless medications. Six months ago, doctors told him that the index of his renal function was slowing increasing. After the surgery, his blood sugar levels returned to normal and his health has been excellent.