There has been a lot of talk about miracle cures for both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, but a recent article from Diabetes Health suggests that it is important not to call the treatments “cures” because they are not.
Specifically, the “cures” in question are bariatric surgery (including gastric bypass) for Type 2 diabetes and Islet transplantation for Type 1 diabetes. Islet transplantation is still experimental and only being performed on people with the most severe form of diabetes. With that surgery, patients are given new islets to replace the ones mistakenly destroyed by the body’s immune system. Islets produce insulin, which is the hormone needed to regulate blood sugar levels in the body. While the success rate with these surgeries is improving, many that undergo the procedures are “cured” only temporarily (months to years). With bariatric surgery, patients are often required to have adjustments made over an extended period of time.
A group of endocrinologists is recommending that people that undergo these procedures to “cure” diabetes should say instead that their diabetes is “in remission.” The reason is because of the nature of diabetes. With diseases like cancer, either you have it or you don’t. Diabetes, however, is measured by the level of sugar in your blood. If it is tightly controlled over a long period of time it should be said to be in remission, they say.
They established guidelines to describe when the disease is in remission. The term ‘partial remission’ should be used to describe when blood sugar levels remain within a certain range for a period of at least a year without the use of drugs or ongoing medical treatment. ‘Complete remission’ is the term to describe when a patient achieves consistent non-diabetic glycemic levels for a full year without drugs or ongoing medical treatment or procedures. Finally, the term ‘prolonged remission’ should be used to describe remission lasting at least five years.
The reason why ‘remission’ is preferable to ‘cure’ is because patients undergoing these types of surgery are at risk for having their diabetes relapse.
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