Home
You can view the current or previous issues of Diabetes Health online, in their entirety, anytime you want.
Click Here To View
See if you qualify for our free healthcare professional magazines. Click here to start your application for Pre-Diabetes Health, Diabetes Health Pharmacist and Diabetes Health Professional.
Latest Type 1 Issues Articles
Popular Type 1 Issues Articles
Highly Recommended Type 1 Issues Articles
Is a Pancreas Transplant the Answer?
In this panel discussion, physicians presented the benefits of pancreas transplants for people with type 1 diabetes and the barriers to this type of therapy.
The doctors noted that the procedure is done in conjunction with a kidney transplant, and that success rates have improved a great deal in recent years with the introduction of cyclosporine and other immunosuppressive drugs. Patient survival is now approximately four times greater than when the procedure was first being done.
Patients who receive successful transplants experience drastically improved HbA1cs and improved glucagon levels. Symptoms of gastroparesis are also greatly improved. The same is true with motor and sensory nerve function, but they never reach nondiabetic levels.
No beneficial effect on retinopathy is observed. The presenters note that this lack of effect is likely due to the fact that most transplant recipients have had relatively poorly controlled diabetes for 15 to 20 years or more, so most of the retinal damage has already been done.
The presenters claimed that transplantation should be an available option for type 1s who suffer from very brittle diabetes, in addition to those with end stage renal disease. They note that it is often a quality of life issue and feel that it should be available to people with profoundly problematic diabetes control.
Every presenter noted that there has never been a randomized clinical trial on the effectiveness of pancreas transplantation. As a result, it is difficult, if not impossible, to convince medical care payers that transplantations are an efficient use of their money.
"We have to be able to come up with something better than personal opinion and case histories. If not, it (pancreas transplant availability) will be decided by people interested in budgets rather than by doctors," says presenter, Thomas Holohan, MD.
Categories: A1c Test, Diabetes, Islet & Pancreas Transplant, Type 1 Issues
You May Also Be Interested In...
Click Here To View Or Post Comments
0 comments -
Aug 1, 1997
-
Diabetes Health
Diabetes Health is the essential resource for people living with diabetes- both newly diagnosed and experienced as well as the professionals who care for them. We provide balanced expert news and information on living healthfully with diabetes. Each issue includes cutting-edge editorial coverage of new products, research, treatment options, and meaningful lifestyle issues.
-
Topics
- Diabetic / Diabetes Health
- Type 1 / 1.5 Diabetes
- Type 2 Diabetes
- Blood Glucose / Sugar
- High/Low Blood Sugar / Fast Acting Glucose
- Insulin- Pumps, Pens & Syringes
- Continuous Glucose Monitors, CGM, Infusion Sets
- Type 2 Medications
- Hyperglycemia
- Hypoglycemia
Email to a Friend
Send a link to this page to your friends and colleagues.