Pancreas Transplantation: Does Age Increase Morbidity?

Abstract

Introduction. Pancreas transplantation (PTx) is the only definitive intervention for type 1 diabetes. Medical advancements in diabetes care have led to an aging PTx candidate pool. We report our experience with patients ≥50 years of age undergoing PTx.Methods. We reviewed 136 consecutive PTx patients at our institution from 1996–2010; 17 were ≥50 years of age. We evaluated demographics, surgical complications, acute rejection (AR) rates, nonsurgical infections, and survival outcomes.Results. Demographic data was similar () between groups, excluding age. The two groups had comparable major and minor surgical complication rates ( and , resp.). The older group had a lower 1-year and overall AR rate ( and , resp.). The incidence of non-surgical infections and overall patient and graft survival was similar between groups ().Conclusion. Older patients with type 1 diabetes are feasible candidates for PTx, as surgical morbidity, incidence of infections, and AR rates are low.