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Can pancreatic bypass surgery cure diabetes?

Prof Dinesh Dhanwal
Prof of Medicine and Head of Endocrinology,
Maulana Azad Medical College,
New Delhi

Q: I am a 53 years old male suffering from type 2 diabetes. I am 167 cm tall and weigh 71 kg. I read somewhere that bypass surgery for pancreas can cure diabetes. Is this true?

A:It is not pancreatic bypass surgery but gastric bypass meaning stomach bypass surgery. This is done in obese patients and has been found good for managing diabetes mellitus (DM). Gastric bypass surgery is done for patients to reduce their weight and this reduction in weight also helps in getting rid of DM. May be in near future it will be used as part of treatment of DM as well but we need to have evidence for this, which will take few years.