Type I diabetics do not derive cardiovascular benefit from transplantation
By admin
Published: August 13, 2009
A recent study has found that patients with Type I diabetes who underwent combined kidney and pancreas transplantation were found to have continued elevated levels of markers of endothelial dysfunction. The Study done in Austria comprised five different groups matched for age, gender, and body mass index. The groups comprised 10 type 1 diabetes SPK patients with non-diabetic blood glucose levels, 10 type 1 diabetes patients with poor glycemic control, 10 type 1 diabetes patients with good glycemic control, six non-diabetic patients after kidney-transplantation, and 10 non-diabetic controls. Even though glucose levels normalised in the diabetic group after transplantation certain very specific indices of endothelial dysfunction remained elevated against controls who never had diabetes.
This study should serve to increase vigilance in such patients after transplantation because they are still at risk for complications of diabetes such as stroke and heart attack despite transplantation. Despite the fact that previous studies demonstrated a significant benefit in terms of cardiovascular disease between patients with combined pancreas and kidney transplant and those that only received kidney transplantation.
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About Roger: Dr. Roger Smith is a nephrologist currently employed to the government of Jamaica. He is the Nephrologist in charge of Spanish Town Dialysis Unit. His interests are lupus nephritis and other glomerulopathies. He was previously a lecturer in Nephrology at the University of the West Indies in the Department of Internal Medicine and Coordinator of the Urogenital Module before moving into private and government practice. |
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