Giant Sausage Skin claimed to cure diabetes

Posted by webber | Monday, August 08, 2011 | , , | 0 comments »



British scientists have developed an implanted sleeve that looks like a giant sausage skin, which they claim can cure diabetes.

A team, led by Dr. John Mason of the Trafford Healthcare National Health Service Trust U.K., says that the two-feet-long device can reverse diabetes within weeks — in fact, it acts as an incision-less alternative to a weight loss surgery known as duodenal switch.

The duodenum is the name for the first 10 to 12in of the small intestine, which attaches to the stomach.

A duodenal switch is a keyhole procedure that involves making two incisions at the start and end of the duodenum. The lower part of the intestine is attached to the stomach, forming a new pathway.

Food then bypasses most of the duodenum, which limits absorption.
Long-term risks include hernia and bowel obstruction.

The device, the EndoBarrier, is designed to have the same effects as surgery but is far safer. It is a plastic sleeve that lines the duodenum, meaning food can only be absorbed lower down the intestine.

However, the procedure is performed under anesthetic, which is less than an hour and the sleeve made from a thin plastic is inserted through the mouth then passed into the digestive tract with a thin tube. Once it’s placed, a ‘sprung titanium anchor’ stops it from slipping out and it is taken out after a year.

In the research, the researchers discovered that in obese patients with diabetes, the disease was excluded, and at first the experts were of the belief it came as a result of weight loss, though many patients were able to stop their diabetes medication before they began losing weight.

The discovery has led to clinical trials at three British hospitals, which found the implant also lowers cholesterol levels and blood pressure.

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