Lebanon, NH – Obesity is the leading risk factor for Type 2 diabetes, making it a concern for an ever increasing number of Americans. As risk factors for many chronic, potentially life-threatening conditions, diabetes and obesity are also significant concerns for healthcare systems.
New research being conducted at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) may offer the promise of effective treatment for diabetes that would improve patient health was well as reduce reliance on medication. Richard I. Rothstein, MD, chair of the Department of Medicine at DHMC and a gastroenterologist/hepatologist, is investigating an endoscopic treatment that thins the lining of the first portion of the small intestine— called the duodenum—which has been shown to reduce the amount of medications needed to treat diabetes in 300 patients who underwent the procedure in a small pilot study in Europe.
“A surgical procedure (bariatric) can result in weight loss, and while an excellent option, only about one percent of patients with obesity have that treatment each year and, unfortunately, some patients experience weight regain after several years,” Rothstein said. “New, less invasive, endoscopic treatments offer promise in weight and diabetes management.”
An effective, non-surgical procedure that eliminates the need for insulin injection—or could lower the need for drugs to maintain blood sugars—would offer significant benefits to the over 30 million Americans with Type 2 diabetes and the healthcare systems that treat them. Should it eventually prove helpful for the 90 million Americans classified as prediabetic, the impact could be even greater.
“It would be really rewarding to treat pre-diabetes and diabetes with endoscopy,” Rothstein said. “Can it take patients off insulin? That’s really important to patients with Type 2 diabetes.”
This study is currently recruiting participants. Adults with Type 2 diabetes using insulin who are interested in participating in the study should contact Debbie Larrimore, RN, of the DHMC Gastroenterology Research Team at 603-653-3651.