Gastroenterology

Data establishes effectiveness of semaglutide in treatment of type 2 diabetes…. Novo Nordisk is currently the manufacturer for Victoza (liraglutide), a GLP-1 agonist that needs to be injected once daily. However, semaglutide only needed to be taken once weekly, which is more preferred. The main objective of the SUSTAIN-3 trial …

Blood glucose showed significant decrease months after procedure… Type 2 diabetes has become more common in today’s society. Currently, modified gastric bypass surgery is used to treat type 2 diabetes. This intervention has been utilized since the 1990s. The procedure reached 83% efficiency and currently the therapeutic mechanism is still …

Patiromer can normalize moderate hyperkalemia, lower potassium levels in as little as 4 weeks…

Overweight and obese patients taking liraglutide (Saxenda) lost more weight than those on placebo… According to a study of 3,731 patients, those on liraglutide lost an average of 8.4±7.3 kg of body weight, and those in the placebo group lost an average of 2.8±6.5 kg (P

David Levy, MD, FRCP      Erectile dysfunction This is the commonest neuropathic complication: 20% of men have erectile dysfunction (ED) at diagnosis, increasing to 34% at 12 years (UKPDS). The prevalence in a newly diagnosed Kuwaiti population was 30%, and nearly 50% in a large survey of Canadians attending their primary-care physicians …

David Levy, MD, FRCP      Mononeuropathies and other focal syndromes Peripheral mononeuropathies Upper limb Carpal tunnel syndrome (median nerve) Carpal tunnel syndrome is very common (remember the association with primary hypothyroidism, especially in type 1 diabetes) and may present with atypical symptoms, as it is often superimposed on diabetic polyneuropathy. Consider it …

David Levy, MD, FRCP      Charcot neuroarthropathy Charcot neuroarthropathy is a serious and poorly understood condition associated with rapid destruction of bones and joints and resulting in bone fragmentation. It occurs only in patients with advanced sensory and autonomic neuropathy, and is characteristic of long-duration type 1 diabetes with other microvascular complications, …

Deficiencies in iron, calcium and vitamin D were more common in the gastric bypass group…. A new international study found that two years post-surgery, those who had gastric bypass have better diabetes control, but they also had higher risks of infection and fractures. Researchers recruited 120 obese patients with type …

Patients shed pounds and had fewer comorbidities with minimally invasive procedure… Apollo Endosurgery, Inc., a leader in minimally invasive endoscopic surgical products for bariatric and gastrointestinal procedures, announced the presentation of results from the ORBERA Pivotal Trial at this year’s Digestive Disease Week (DDW) conference. The study showed that ORBERA …

Gastrointestinal microbiome modulator may help alleviate the side effects of metformin and improve glucose control in patients with type 2 diabetes… Metformin’s main side effects are gastrointestinal and this limits the use of the medication either by not reaching the maximum dose or discontinued use altogether. The most common adverse …