A New Metabolic Surgery Mitigates the Effects of Diabetes in Patients in Mexico
An innovative metabolic surgery, known as Ileal transposition, has improved the health of patients with diabetes in Mexico, where this disease is an epidemic that causes more than 115,000 deaths annually, the second cause of death.
12/27/2023.- Dr. José Antonio Castañeda speaks during an interview with EFE, on December 26, 2023, in the city of Guadalajara, Jalisco (Mexico). EFE/ Francisco Guasco
EFE
Escucha este artículo
Leer en español: Una nueva cirugía metabólica mitiga los efectos de la diabetes en pacientes de México
Innovative Surgery to Control Type 2 Diabetes in Mexico
At least 50 people in Mexico have controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus with this operation, with which they regulated their glucose levels, stopped medications and stopped the deterioration of their organs due to this disease.
Perla Franco Díaz, who underwent the procedure in the city of Guadalajara in 2019, told EFE this Wednesday that she received the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes at the age of 15, and since then she has depended on medications and taking insulin.
When the young businesswoman's eyesight began to deteriorate, her parents looked for other options to treat her and learned about this surgery.
“When the blurred vision started was when I was most scared, but since I had the operation it was a sudden change, not having medication after having had it for so long was a total relief, now I can continue my life with peace of mind,” said the woman. 23 years old.
About 422 million people in the world and 62 million in America suffer from type 2 diabetes mellitus, a disease that progressively damages organs such as the heart, blood spleens, eyes, kidneys, and nerves, according to the Pan American Health Organization.
In Mexico, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi), this disease affects more than 12.8 million and is the second cause of death.
Ricardo Antonio Pérez and His Journey to Recovery
Ricardo Antonio Pérez is 50 years old and has undergone ileal transposition for four years. With diabetes and allergic to metformin, the most common treatment, his eyesight deteriorated and his kidneys were about to stop working, but he knew he was a candidate for surgery.
“(At an appointment) I had 520 glucose and my kidneys were already very bad, they told me to prepare because I was already going for dialysis or transplant, my kidneys were at 27% or 28% function,” he told EFE.
To be a candidate he had to gain weight, but the kidney deterioration was such that the doctors decided they could not wait.
After leaving the operating room, he began to see well and his blood glucose was between 105 and 90 milligrams. He stopped injecting insulin and his kidneys are now almost 60% functional.
Surgery does not cure diabetes but it does control it, Dr. José Antonio Castañeda, a specialist in this procedure, told EFE.
The Explanation of Dr. José Antonio Castañeda
This occurs because during the procedure, the position of the ileum, part of the small intestine that releases hormones that help produce more insulin, is changed and is placed near the duodenum, which absorbs fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and proteins, he explained.
In this way, sugars and fats are not processed immediately, and increases in glucose are avoided.
Candidates must have diabetes without obesity, no organ impairment, and optimal blood tests.
Read also: Mortality From Colon Cancer Has Increased By 20.5% In Latin America In 30 Years
The surgery is performed in Mexico, India, and Brazil in private hospitals and through non-invasive laparoscopy with a success rate of 95%, Castañeda said.
