‘Magic cure' to get rid of your sugar problems

Dubai: If you are obese and have diabetes there is a ‘magic cure' that gets rid of your sugar problems and you need not take medications anymore.

That cure is a surgery that staples the stomach and which makes you eat less. And as you eat less the various symptoms disappear.

But unfortunately, not everyone can benefit from Bariatric Surgery as this procedure is known.

"We handle the really difficult cases," said Dr Salah Abusnana, consultant endocrinologist at the Rashid Centre for Diabetes and Research in Ajman.

He says there is an international guideline for this surgery and it is recommended only for those whose BMI (Body Mass Index) is 35 and above and have diabetes, hypertension and other related ailments.

Surprisingly, once the patient undergoes the surgery, not only does the diabetes disappear, but other ailments such as sleep apnea, heart disease and hypertension also fade away.

Once that happens, there is another happy side effect. "The need to take drugs is dramatically reduced," says the doctor, pointing out that this has a huge impact on the overall cost of the treatment of diabetes.

Lifestyle changes

On an average it costs Dh8,000 per year to keep your diabetes under control. Once the surgery is done the dosage of medications drops and the cost comes down to Dh450 per year, says the doctor.

There is no cure for most diabetics at the moment. Scientists are looking at stem cell research, but finding a cure there could take decades. All that diabetic patients can do now is to keep the disease under control. And for most of them, the best way to keep it under control is to change their lifestyles.

But that's easier said than done.

"About 20 per cent of the UAE population suffers from diabetes," says Bengt Ternstrom, general manager of the Rashid Centre. That works out roughly about 1.6 million diabetics. "If you include the expatriates, it is 24 per cent (of the population)," he says.

The UAE is among the top five countries in the world with a high population of diabetics. Next door in Saudi Arabia, the percentage is higher at 27 per cent, and in Kuwait it is 25 per cent.

"Predominantly, it is the lifestyle. It's easy to control and reduce the chance for the disease to develop," says Ternstrom. And the way to do that is to eat healthy, exercise and reduce your weight.

"A lot of patients have succeeded in changing their lifestyles," says the manager. But then he adds: "The challenge is to get the patient to be compliant (to the doctor's orders). It depends on how you feel. You don't feel really sick. Once you take the insulin, you don't feel very bad. There is no motivation to change."

The Rashid Centre was started two years ago because of the alarming number of diabetics in the northern emirates. It is a collaboration between the Ministry of Health and a Swedish health care provider. Presently, 1,600 diabetic patients seek treatment every month at this centre.

"We are at the third level of treatment," he said, where the more difficult cases are tackled. (The first two levels are the primary health care centres and hospitals).

Three-month procedure

Dr Almantas Maleckas flies into the country three times a year with his specialised team to perform the gastric bypass procedure. But before the surgery is done the patient must undergo a three-month procedure.

The gastric bypass even helps patients with the more difficult Type-1 diabetes, says Dr Abusnana. "Their complications will be lesser," he says.

So far 60 patients have undergone the procedure and there have been no complications and no deaths.

Ternstrom said that the waiting list for the procedure is growing.