30% of diabetic patients in Kuwait have SIBO: Expert

30% of diabetic patients in Kuwait have SIBO: Expert

By Abdellatif Sharaa

KUWAIT: Consultant of internal diseases, digestive system and liver Dr Wafaa Al-Hashash said around 30 percent of diabetic patients in Kuwait have small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), adding this is equivalent to around 340,000 people in the country. She said the elderly are more prone to the risk of getting SIBO due to the change in level of stomach acid, and most of them are taking medicines that exacerbate the risk.

Dr Hashash said SIBO occurs when there is an abnormal increase in the total number of bacteria in the small intestine, adding that in case of SIBO, food stagnates in the small intestine and becomes a fertile medium for bacterial growth, resulting in toxins that affect absorption of nutrients. This will result in symptoms, most important of which are gases, flatulence and diarrhea even after eating a small portion of food.

She said among the most important symptoms of SIBO are abdominal pain, nausea, gas and weight loss, adding that among the factors of getting SIBO are surgeries of the abdomen, such as gastric sleeve operations, gastric bypass, peptic ulcer surgeries, small bowel adhesions and diverticulitis in intestines, as well as getting celiac disease, diabetes radiation enteritis or cases