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Weight of pancreas linked to diabetes pathogenesis
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By examining pancreas weight, researchers found that early atrophy of the organ could be an important factor when it comes to the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes, according to a research letter published in The Journal of the American Medical Association.
From October 2006 to April 2012, Martha Campbell-Thompson DVM, PhD, of the department of pathology at the University of Florida in Gainesville, and colleagues recovered pancreas tissue donations through the Network for Pancreatic Organ Donors with Diabetes program.
The organ donations were categorized into three groups: no diabetes (n=23); positive for antibody only (n=8); and type 1 diabetes (n=20).
According to researchers, 46 of the 51 donors were identified as “brain dead,” whereas five were categorized as “nonheart beating.” They wrote that most donors received cardiovascular drugs before death, with a variation between the three disease status groups.
“The primary outcome variable was pancreas weight of donors in the three groups, examined using a general linear model to account for the influence of covariates on the endpoint,” the researchers wrote.
Data indicate the mean weight of the pancreas in those without diabetes was 81.4 g (95% CI, 73-89.8) compared with 61.3 g (95% CI, 46.8-75.8) from the positive single autoantibody-only group (P=.02) and 44.9 g (95% CI, 36-53.9) from the type 1 diabetes group (P<.001).
Researchers wrote that these findings suggest early atrophy of the pancreas could be a vital subclinical feature of the type 1 diabetes pathogenesis. However, the researchers added that future studies should investigate whether the mechanisms underlying these data contribute to the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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