Potential medical breakthrough for diabetic patients

According to doctors, recent studies have shown that inserting a hot balloon into the body through a patient's throat and leading it into the gut could relieve hundreds of thousands of patients from sticking insulin needles into their bodies regularly.

For the initial trial period, only a small number of British participants will be offered the procedure. It is said to have shown positive results in at least three-quarters of the patients who were eventually freed of the insulin needles, reported the Dailymail.
 
The procedure, duodenal mucosal resurfacing, is quite simplistic and non-invasive; with the help of a gastrointestinal specialist, a small balloon is passed down the throat and the stomach until it reaches the duodenum. The duodenum is the first part of what we know as the small intestine and it is there that the procedure will take place.

The heat from the balloon helps burn away the thickened walls of the duodenum and soon is replaced by healthy new cells.

The reason behind this specific region of the anatomy is because this is where the body detects the presence of sugar and the duodenum lining plays a significant role in keeping blood sugar levels stable. Unfortunately, due to an imbalanced diet, the lining thickens and is no longer able to release insulin when sugar is ingested. This is where the medication comes into play by helping the body to keep the blood sugar levels at the recommended level.

A participant who was the first to receive positive results told the Dailymail, "I was started on insulin in 2012, as my other medication wasn't controlling my blood sugar levels any more, but it made me gain weight,' he said. Desperate to find a fix, his wife read about the duodenal mucosal resurfacing trial and managed to get him enrolled. He had the procedure in December 2018. "Since then, I've been able to come off insulin and now have healthy blood sugar levels. I feel like new."

A doctor has also added that "Given the opportunity, I think most patients would want to be able to stop taking insulin. Not only is there the need for daily injections, but weight gain is a common side effect, and there's also the risk of blood sugar dropping too low causing hypoglycaemia."

Although the results only last for two years, this miracle solution is said to improve the quality of life in diabetic patients significantly.