How does joint surgery affect the level of sugar in the body?

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – A new study shows that diabetics undergoing joint replacement experience an increase in blood sugar levels after the operation, increasing the risk of infections and others complications. Researchers at Surgeon's Hospital in Washington, DC, reported that patients with insulin-dependent diabetes had a five-fold higher risk of diabetes.

"If the patient has diabetes and the treatment depends on daily doses of insulin, he should be more aware of the control of blood sugar during the perinatal period because it presents an increased risk to health," he said. said Dr. Bradford Wadell.

For this study, presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (2019), the team reviewed the clinical outcomes of more than 773 men and women who had undergone total replacement surgery. hip or knee between 2011 and 2016. There were 437 diabetic people dependent on insulin doses.

The study included patients whose blood glucose controlled diabetes controlled with the help of "hormone" insulin "and compared to diabetics who did not need insulin. Patients requiring insulin could be considered to have a higher risk of elevated blood glucose levels during surgery, the researchers said.

Patients with hyperglycemia during the three months prior to surgery were more likely to develop postoperative hypoglycemia.