Pancreas Transplant: An Insulin-Free Treatment for Type 1 Diabetes

Your pancreas is a narrow organ about the length of your hand that lies behind your stomach. It releases enzymes into your small intestine to break down nutrients. It also releases hormones into your bloodstream to help your body use sugar (glucose). As mention in previous entries, insulin, which is released by the pancreas, acts as a gatekeeper, letting glucose into your cells. The cells use the glucose as fuel for energy production.
When your body is unable to regulate the amount of glucose in your blood, you may have diabetes. Type 1 diabetes occurs because your pancreas produces little or no insulin and individuals with type 2 diabetes the insulin produced is not efficiently used by the body.
A pancreas transplant can be a successful treatment option for people who have advanced type 1 diabetes or who don't respond well to standard insulin treatments.
As also discussed previously, many people with type 1 diabetes can manage their disease by following a diet and exercise plan, monitoring their blood glucose, and receiving insulin injections. But for some people this is a difficult task, resulting in a number of serious complications.
A pancreas transplant is the closest thing to restoring normal pancreas function. A pancreas transplant isn't the best option for all people with type 1 diabetes, however, and is primarily recommended for people with kidney failure.

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Coming soon will be a discussion on additional diabetes treatments.