Diabetes: Islet Cell Transplantation

• What are the benefits of islet cell transplantation?
• What are the risks of islet cell transplantation?
• How successful is islet cell transplantation?
• Can anyone with diabetes get an islet cell transplant?
• Can islet cell transplantation be done at any hospital?
• What is the future for islet cell transplantation research?
• What clinical trials are researching islet cell transplantation?

In islet cell transplantation, insulin-producing beta cells are taken from a donor's pancreas and transferred into a person with diabetes. Once transplanted, the donor islets begin to make and release insulin, actively regulating the level of glucose in the blood.

What Are the Benefits of Islet Cell Transplantation?

A successful islet cell transplant can significantly improve the quality of life for a person with diabetes.

Once transplanted, the islet cells automatically monitor sugars levels and can regulate insulin levels by delivering the appropriate amounts needed to normalize blood glucose levels, even as the body's needs change (for example, after exercising or eating).

Successful transplantation can provide the following benefits:

• It can eliminate the need for frequent blood glucose measurements and the need for daily insulin injections. Although only a few are free of insulin injections a year after transplantation.
• It can provide more flexibility with meal planning.
• It can help protect against the serious long-term complications of diabetes, including heart disease, kidney disease, stroke and nerve and eye damage.

From the Doctors at MedicineNet.com

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