Pancreas transplant for diabetes

People with type 1 diabetes often develop kidney failure and, when it's available, a combined kidney and pancreas transplant offers the prospect of curing both problems. Italian research reports that a pancreas transplant alone has a lasting beneficial effect on kidney impairment related to diabetes. Researchers from the University of Pisa note that pancreas transplantation greatly helps people with diabetes by restoring insulin production, but the long-term effects on diabetes-related complications such as kidney impairment are not well defined. They evaluated 32 type 1 diabetic patients before and a year after successful pancreas transplantation. Thirty matched control patients who did not undergo transplantation were also evaluated. The transplant restored normal blood sugar levels without the need for insulin injections. It also reduced cholesterol levels and significantly decreased blood pressure levels. Furthermore, there was a significant decrease in urinary protein excretion, a sign of kidney damage. No such changes were seen in patients who did not undergo transplantation. The researchers call for longer-term studies and add that the beneficial effects of pancreas transplantation on the native kidneys of diabetic patients supports the concept of considering pancreas transplantation alone as a useful therapeutic option. The 32 transplant patients were part of a group of 60 patients who have now undergone pancreas transplants. At four years, 98 percent of this group has survived and more than 80 percent no longer require insulin injections. The procedure has led to very positive results.