Early blood sugar control and short-term graft function after pancreas-kidney transplantation were comparable in carefully selected patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
For people living with diabetes and end-stage kidney disease, a simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation (SPKT) can restore insulin production while replacing failed kidney function. A new study published in Cureus reports that carefully selected patients with type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes experienced similarly stable early blood sugar control and comparable short-term graft outcomes after the procedure, supporting a consistent approach to postoperative care (1✔ ✔Trusted Source
Immediate Glycemic Outcomes Following Simultaneous Pancreas–Kidney Transplantation: Equivalent Early Metabolic Profiles in Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes
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Researchers retrospectively evaluated 80 adult SPKT recipients treated between 2018 and 2025, including 31 patients with type 1 diabetes and 49 with type 2 diabetes. Although recipients with type 2 diabetes were older and had a higher body mass index, their early postoperative glucose patterns were similar to those of recipients with type 1 diabetes.
Pancreas-Kidney Transplant Maintains Similar Early Blood Sugar Control
Blood glucose levels measured at 6, 12, and 24 hours after surgery and again on postoperative days 7, 14, and 28 showed no significant differences between the two groups. Likewise, the need for intravenous insulin or dextrose during the perioperative period was comparable, indicating similar early metabolic recovery following transplantation.
Short-Term Pancreas Graft Function Comparable in Both Diabetes Types
The researchers also found no meaningful differences in insulin independence at one month, delayed graft function, pancreatic enzyme levels, postoperative complications, or hospital stay between the two groups. These findings suggest that early pancreas graft performance remains consistent regardless of diabetes type when recipients are carefully selected and managed using standardized perioperative protocols.
Study Supports Standardized Care After Pancreas-Kidney Transplant
The study adds evidence that SPKT can provide comparable early metabolic outcomes for appropriately selected people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. While longer-term follow-up and larger multicenter studies are still needed, these findings reinforce the feasibility of using uniform postoperative glucose management protocols and offer reassuring evidence that diabetes type alone may not influence early graft function after transplantation.
Reference:
- Immediate Glycemic Outcomes Following Simultaneous Pancreas–Kidney Transplantation: Equivalent Early Metabolic Profiles in Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes – (https://www.cureus.com/articles/454753#!/)
Source-Medindia