A coalition of international doctors and researchers has called for stomachstapling surgery to be used far more routinely to treat Type 2 diabetes. “Bariatric” operations – which drastically reduce the amount patients can eat – are the closest thing to a “cure” for the condition: studies indicate they lead to remission in up to 50% of cases. But despite this, the NHS still isn’t offering them as standard care, said the experts: only about 6,000 such operations are performed in the UK each year, even though up to 100,000 people a year could benefit from them. Wider use of the procedure (which costs about £6,000) wouldn’t just improve the lives of Type 2 diabetes patients; it would also save money, the panel claimed. Treating diabetes and its complications is a…
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The Week United Kingdom (Digital) - 1 Issue, V. 1076