By Sherwyn L. Schwartz, MD
Approximately 20.8 million people (7 percent of the population) have been diagnosed with diabetes in the U.S. The rate of diabetes in San Antonio and Bexar County is 14 percent compared to the nation.
When diabetes is managed utilizing the most effective treatments, the complications and hospitalizations associated with diabetes can be reduced or eliminated. The San Antonio community has access to the most current therapies for treating diabetes and other endocrine disorders by participating in research.
Everyone deserves cutting-edge care and San Antonio is a haven for the most progressive, state-of-the-art treatments for diabetes.
The latest investigational diabetic medications include inhaled insulins — which can potentially reduce a patient’s average number of insulin injections daily—and in-jectable anti-diabetic medications derived from Gila monster saliva.
The results I have observed with these new injectable anti-diabetic medications have been phenomenal because the research participants’ average blood sugars and HbA1c levels were significantly reduced. In addition, participants lost weight due to the secondary pharmacological effect that these medications have as an appetite suppressant.
Other advanced research studies being performed include peptide-based‚ -cell immunotherapy for diabetes, since some patients’ Type 2
diabetes diagnosis may be linked to autoimmune disorders as evidence by a positive GAD antibody.
New obesity clinical trials for diabetes involve study medications that block brain and fat call receptors which trigger the body to overeat, as well as implantable pacemaker-like devices which send electrical impulses to the stomach signaling it’s full. These new medications and devices could potentially have multiple benefits for our participants’ health, not only by reducing body weight but also by lowering blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
Dr. Sherwyn L. Schwartz is Chief Executive Officer and Chief Medical Officer of dgd Research, Inc. He
is board certified in internal medicine and endocrinology and metabolism. He currently practices at the Diabetes & Glandular Disease Clinic located in the South Texas Medical Center. Established in 1979 by Dr. Schwartz, DGD Clinic is the largest endocrinology practice in the U.S., seeing more than 5,000 patients per month from San Antonio and throughout South Texas. Together with eight endocrinologists and 110 employees, the clinic provides comprehensive patient care from routine to complex management of diabetic patients.
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