Pancreas transplantation status at Kyushu University Hospital: Clinical profiles and quality of life

We studied the clinical profiles and quality of life (QOL) of 10 patients undergoing pancreas transplantation after the transplantation law was passed in Japan in 1997. Patients were 9 women and one man, with a mean age of 36 years, a mean diabetes mellitus duration 22 years, a mean dialysis of 4 years, and a mean transplantation wait of 27 months. Nine received simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation including 2 nonheart-beating donors, and one received a pancreas after kidney transplantation. All could then stop insulin and dialysis therapy. Eight patients did not need insulin injections immediately after transplantation. Fasting blood glucose was 90±3mg/d/, and HbA1c 5.5±0.3% without insulin therapy. QOL assessment using short form 36 was conducted for 9 patients with functional grafts and 26 on a waiting list. Transplantation patients had significantly higher scores than waiting-list patients for all 8 parameters , i.e., physical functioning, role physical, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social functioning, role emotional, and mental health. The scores of transplantation patients reached levels similar to the average Japanese population. Although patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus and end-stage renal failure already developed severe diabetic complications, our study indicated that simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation improved QOL scores to the standard Japanese population level both physically and mentally.