Metabolic Disorders: Treatment, Procedure, Cost and Side Effects

It is also known as Metabolic Syndrome

In metabolic disorders, an enzyme is either not produced in the body or it is produced in a form that does not work, and due to the lack of a particular enzyme toxic chemicals can build up or an essential product may not be produced.

There are more than hundred metabolic disorders that have been identified. Some of the common metabolic disorders are Hurler Syndrome, Tay-Sachs disease, Gaucher disease, Krabbe disease, Phenylketonuria, Mitochondrial disorders etc.

Not a lot of treatments are available for people suffering from inherited disorders, the disorder cannot be corrected but the treatments aim to stabilize the metabolism, there are a few principles that the treatment of these disorders follow:

Any food that cannot be metabolized in the body should be avoided completely.

There is a removal of toxic chemicals that accumulate due to the missing enzyme.

The enzyme for chemical that is missing is replaced.

For people having such disorders special diets are prepared, as they tend to get very ill and hospitalization may be required they should be sent to such medical centers where the complete history of the patient is known.

Dieticians who prepare the diet of the patients should be completely aware of the genotype of the patient, for the treatment to work.

There are a lot of risk-factors that come with metabolic disorders like high blood pressure, high blood sugar, unhealthy cholesterol levels etc. Treatment focuses on tackling all these factors.

Lifestyle changes are very important for the treatment to work, eating healthier food and in general adopting a healthier lifestyle can help to completely eliminate the risk-factors.

For high blood pressure medicines like Capoten, Vasotec, Cozaar and Diovan are recommended along with diuretics and some other drugs.

For cholesterol medicines like Lescol, Mevacor, Pravachol, Zetia and other drugs are taken.

For Diabetes Actos, Avandia, Glucophage are recommended.

People prone to blood clots may have to take a low-dose of Asprin which helps in reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Surgery is usually not done for metabolic disorders, but in the case of morbidly obese people bariatric surgery can have beneficial results.

For those having sleep apnea, CPAP therapy is used which is continuous positive airway pressure therapy.

If lifestyle modification does not work the person can undergo Triglyceride treatment which is a medical therapy for elevated triglycerides, another helpful therapy maybe Hyperglycemia treatment, which is for patients having hyperglycemia.

There are alternative options available, traditional Chinese medicine may help reduce the risk-factors, also ingredients like berberine, bitter guard, ginseng may have a favorable effect

Exercise also plays a very key role as already mentioned that lifestyle changes are important, physical activity of moderate intensity should be done at least for thirty minutes every day.

There are several metabolic disorders, so the approach towards treatment is very different, different people are eligible for different sets of treatment, since in metabolic disorders the primary aim is to eliminate the risk factors, for example people who have no issues with their sleep are often recommend certain drugs for the lowering of unhealthy cholesterol that other people with insomnia are not like Lescol. The treatment plan differs for different people.

People suffering from stomach ailments are usually kept away from certain prescribed drugs

People suffering from diseases like cancer often cannot undergo treatment prescribed for metabolic disorders as their treatment for cancer takes center stage.

Similarly People with AIDS do not undergo the main therapies and the prescribed treatments.

There are various side effects associated with various prescribed drugs like headache, dizziness, flu symptoms, back pain, blurred vision, nausea, diarrhea, skin rash, indigestion, sleep problems, muscle pain etc.

There are no specific guidelines

Since an enzyme is missing or inactive, the person does not completely recover especially in the case of genetic metabolic disorders. With the regular use of prescribed drugs and the maintenance of a healthy lifestyle, the risk factors can be completely eliminated within the span of a month or two.

Price of drugs can range from Rs 540- Rs 18,000

Cost of the therapies associated with the risk factors range between Rs 5000- Rs 20,000

Tests to confirm whether therapy is required or not cost around Rs 100- Rs 300

These disorders continue throughout the life of the individual, so as already mentioned if medicines are taken at their proper time and a healthy lifestyle is maintained, which includes at least thirty minutes of exercise every day, factors like high blood pressure, unhealthy levels of cholesterol, as well as high blood sugar can be completely banished from the life of the individual.