Effects of combined pancreatic and renal transplantation on diabetic neuropathy: a two-year follow-up study

Abstract

To investigate whether diabetic neuropathy can be reversed after pancreatic transplantation 13 diabetic patients were examined by means of conventional electroneurography and tests on autonomic function before and 6, 12, and 24 months after combined renal and pancreatic transplantation. 15 diabetic patients receiving a kidney graft only and 15 non-diabetic kidney graft recipients served as controls. Before transplantation neuropathy was most advanced in the two diabetic groups. Both diabetic groups showed a similar slight but significant improvement of nerve conduction after transplantation. In the non-diabetic group nerve conduction became essentially normal. No group showed improvement in autonomic dysfunction. The improvement in nerve conduction after combined kidney and pancreas transplantation was most probably due to the elimination of uraemia. Furthermore, 2 years of normoglycaemia did not reverse the diabetic neuropathy to an important extent at this late stage of the disease.