An Indiana hospital specializing in pancreas transplants is declaring the surgery a little-known cure for type 1 diabetes.
Indiana University Hospital in Indianapolis has performed more of the surgeries than any other hospital in the country, according to a report on TheIndyChannel.com. Jonathan Fridell, director of pancreas transplants at the hospital, says the procedure effectively eliminates the disease.
Only those with severe cases are recommended for the surgery, since it can cause serious complications, Fridell says.
The American Diabetes Association warns the pancreas transplant “cure” can be “worse than the disease.” Recipients need to take immunosuppressive drugs for the rest of their lives in order to prevent the immune system from fighting the new organ.
“The side effects of these drugs may be worse than the problems caused by diabetes, and the operation itself is serious,” the ADA notes, with one in 10 people dying within a year of undergoing the transplants. Still, for diabetics with especially difficult complications, the disease may be a solution, the ADA says.
IU Hospital’s pancreas transplant wait list is less than two months.
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