Type 2 Diabetes
What is Type 2 Diabetes?
Type 2 Diabetes is a global epidemic with more people affected every year. It is very common condition, particularly amongst those with a family history of diabetes, certain ethnic groups and people categorised as having obesity.
T2D causes the level of glucose (sugar) in the blood to become too high and, despite an abundance of T2D medications, it is a progressive metabolic disease. This means most patients continue to struggle to control their blood sugar and find themselves taking more and more medication over time.
Having T2D increases a person’s risk of developing other serious health problems like vision loss, blindness, nerve damage, wounds that won’t heal, amputations, heart attacks, strokes, kidney damage and liver disease.
Questions and Appointments
For any enquiries about conditions, tests or treatments, please feel free to call Dr Rehan Haidry’s medical secretary Debra Hyams.
Treating T2D
T2D treatment usually starts with a daily tablet called Metformin to control blood sugar and lifestyle changes such as cutting down on sugary foods and drinks and carbohydrate, combined with more exercise. However after living with the condition for a number of years patients often find they will need to take additional medications to keep their blood sugar under control and in some cases they will end up needing to inject insulin as well.
Traditionally T2D treatments have focused on managing the key symptom of the disease – the increased blood sugar – they do not address why the disease is getting steadily worse. However, there is now cutting-edge research that is turning its attention to a part of the body called the duodenum.
The duodenum is the first part of the small intestine just (after the stomach) and it plays a crucial role in metabolism. The cells lining the duodenum – the ‘mucosa’ – absorb nutrients and sends signals to other parts of the body like the pancreas. In people with T2D the lining becomes thickened and diseased. Experts believe that targeting the duodenum can ‘reset’ the T2D disease progression.
Endoscopic procedures for T2D
Dr Haidry is a trailblazer when it comes to endoscopic procedures for T2D. These are procedures performed via endoscope (a tube that passes through the mouth down to the duodenum while the patient is sedated). Gastric bypass surgery (performed via incisions in the abdomen) involved cutting away parts of the digestive system and ‘re-plumbing’ what’s left, which can carry a higher surgical risk and is linked to complications further down the line.
Dr Haidry offers the following procedures at the Cleveland Clinic:
- Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty (ESG) – an advanced endoscopy procedure that changes the stomach from a pouch shape to a sleeve shape completed via the mouth. ESG patients feel fully quicker as the stomach volume is reduced and can lose up to 50% of their body weight in the first 12 months, as well as improved blood sugar.
- Reset procedure – a new incision-free endoscopic procedure designed to help patients living with obesity, particularly those with type 2 diabetes, lose weight and regain control of their metabolic health. Patients lose 20% body weight in first year and the procedure is completed reversed, meaning there are no permanent anatomical changes to the digestive tract.
In The News
Dr Haidry is known as one of Europe’s leading gastroenterologists in type 2 diabetes and has been involved in clinical trials involving emerging T2D procedures for over a decade.
He was one of the first doctors to perform a hot water procedure in the UK as a clinical trial investigator. Here he talks about the procedure (2107) please click here.
More recently Dr Haidry has been involved in a trial of a novel hot vapour treatment (known as PIMA) that targets the duodenum, read about the latest developments here.
Get In Touch
For any enquiries about conditions, tests or treatments, please feel free to call Dr Rehan Haidry’s medical secretary Debra Hyams on:
Tel: 0203 423 7609 | Email: rhaidrymedsec@ccf.org