Diabetes Information

The pancreas is a cylindrical gland lying between the stomach and the spinal cord. It has the unique function of secreting the hormones insulin and glucagons that are required to control the sugar level in the blood. And apart from secreting hormones, the pancreas also produces digestive enzymes. The first pancreatic transplant took place in 1966 in the US. Today, on an average, 500 transplants are carried out throughout the world every year. Transplantation of the pancreas is a treatment for Type One or insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM).
Among IDDM patients, the pancreas produces little or no insulin, which is why the body cannot control blood sugar levels. Type One diabetes, which affects 25 per cent of all the diabetics, usually starts in childhood or in the youth. On the other hand, Type Two or non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) occurs only after the age of 40 and usually responds to better lifestyle management, including physical exercise, change in diet and oral medication.
Pancreatic transplantation procedure involves removal of the donated pancreas along with a connected portion of the bowel. The donor’s organ, after it is cleaned, needs to be stored in a cold preservative and can be used till up to 18 hours. The recipient’s pancreas is left intact because even if it cannot produce insulin, it does carry out its other functions normally.
The transplanted pancreas is placed quite low in the abdomen. The enzymes of the new pancreas flow through the attached bowel segment into the bladder and exit the body via urine. The entire procedure takes four to six hours, but the patient has to be followed up for early signs of rejection. The way to do this is to monitor the urine and the blood regularly—an increasing blood sugar level is an early signal of rejection.
The operation has a good success rate with about 85 per cent of the patients surviving beyond the first year. The new pancreas starts functioning immediately along with the recipient’s own, enabling him or her to enjoy a normal diet without the daily drudgery of insulin injections.

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