Diabetes refers to the body’s inability to process and use glucose from food properly. Sapra and Bhandari (2022) describe diabetes mellitus as a disease of inadequate control of blood levels. According to the MSD Manual (2022), diabetes mellitus occurs when the body does not normally respond to insulin, thus causing the blood sugar levels to be abnormally high. Diabetes generally damages blood vessels and nerves and increases the risks of heart attacks, kidney disease, and vision loss. Moreover, diabetes can cause nephropathy, ischemic heart disease, and cerebrovascular disease (Hinkle & Cheever, 2018). Thus, it is necessary to undertake medical treatments to cure or put the condition into remission.
Diabetes mellitus is one of the fastest-growing diseases worldwide. According to Cole and Florez (2020), diabetes is “projected to affect 693 million adults by 2045” (p.1). Moreover, Cleveland Clinic (2022, para. 5) states that “34.2 million people of all ages – about one in ten – have diabetes in the U.S. Some 7.3 million adults aged 18 and older are unaware that they have diabetes.” With such a vast spread of this disease, the necessary treatment is required. As a nurse dealing with patients with diabetes, I checked the fluid balance, electrolytes, and the acid-base balance. Moreover, I used to inject insulin on the usual basis. As well as that, it was my duty to provide important health and psychological advice.
However, in morbidly obese patients with diabetes mellitus, simple lifestyle changes and psychological advice might not be enough. In these cases, only bariatric surgery is a probable way to regulate glucose levels (Sapra & Bhandari, 2022). According to the study by Park et al. (2019), bariatric surgeries have proven to have great long-term outcomes for diabetes remission rates. As well as that, Billeter et al. (2018) concluded that the surgery improved pre-existing diabetic nephropathy compared with medical treatment. Moreover, the findings demonstrated that remission takes place after the course of bariatric surgery, especially compared to the non-surgical procedures (Tsilingiris et al., 2019). However, Tsilingiris et al. (2019) state that the positive results depend not only on the surgical procedure but also the lifestyle changes. When I was treating patients, I could confirm that they undertook healthy diets and exercise regimes after the surgery. I used to help and educate them about healthy habits, diabetes medications, and how to self-administer insulin.
As it has been demonstrated by the findings above, diabetes is one of the fastest-growing diseases in the world. Usually, an insulin pump and an advice from the nurse about lifestyle change can help to send the disease into remission. Moreover, according to the multiple findings conducted by Park et al. (2019), Billeter et al. (2018), and Tsilingiris et al. (2019), bariatric surgeries have a positive rate of sending diabetes into remission. However, the authors also note that the surgery by itself is not a cure and a systematic approach following the surgery is necessary. In cases where patients undertook a healthy lifestyle after the surgical procedure, diabetes has successfully gone into remission.
References
Billeter, A. T., Scheurlen, K. M., Probst, P., Eichel, S., Nickel, F., Kopf, S. & Müller-Stich, B. P. (2018). Meta-analysis of metabolic surgery versus medical treatment for microvascular complications in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Journal of British Surgery, 105(3), 168-181.
Cleveland Clinic (2022). Diabetes: An Overview. Cleveland Clinic. Web.
Cole, J.B., Florez, J.C. (2020). Genetics of diabetes mellitus and diabetes complications.Nat Rev Nephrol 16, 377–390. Web.
Hinkle, J. L., & Cheever, K. H. (2018). Brunner and Suddarth’s textbook of medical-surgical nursing. LWW.
MSD Manual (2020). Diabetes Mellitus (DM). Web.
Park, C.H., Nam, SJ., Choi, H.S., et al. Comparative Efficacy of Bariatric Surgery in the Treatment of Morbid Obesity and Diabetes Mellitus: a Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.OBES SURG 29, 2180–2190 (2019). Web.
Sapra, A. & Bhandari, P. (2022). Diabetes Mellitus. StatPearls Publishing. Web.
Tsilingiris, D., Koliaki, C., & Kokkinos, A. (2019). Remission of type 2 diabetes mellitus after bariatric surgery: fact or fiction? International journal of environmental research and public health, 16(17), 3171.