Kidney plus pancreas transplant best for diabetics

People with type 1 diabetes who need a kidney transplant fare better over the long term when they receive a pancreas transplant at the same time.The following study shows that a functioning pancreas has a benefit for the simultaneously transplanted kidney. At the same time, this procedure prolongs the survival of the patient, compared to a patient who received only a kidney transplant.The reason for the improved survival with simultaneous pancreas-and-kidney transplantation is not fully known, but does relate to the enhanced glucose control achieved with the combined procedure. Researchers in Germany studied 2190 patients given a living-donor kidney, 5705 deceased-donor kidney recipients, and 3525 patients undergoing simultaneous pancreas-and-kidney transplantation.Compared with the other groups, the deceased-donor kidney group had inferior survival rates, the report indicates, a finding that is consistent with prior research.Initially, the pancreas-and-kidney group had worse survival than did the living-donor kidney group, but the pancreas-and-kidney group's rate eventually caught up, and beyond 10 years survival was higher. In fact, after 10 years, the risk of dying for pancreas-and-kidney recipients was 45 percent lower than for living-donor kidney patients. Based on the above results, all type 1 diabetics with kidney failure should be considered for simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation. However, further research in the field is needed.

DoctorNDTV is the one stop site for all your health needs providing the most credible health information, health news and tips with expert advice on healthy living, diet plans, informative videos etc. You can get the most relevant and accurate info you need about health problems like diabetes, cancer, pregnancy, HIV and AIDS, weight loss and many other lifestyle diseases. We have a panel of over 350 experts who help us develop content by giving their valuable inputs and bringing to us the latest in the world of healthcare.

Advertisement