Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Islet transplantation is an NHS-funded procedure introduced to the UK in 2011 for patients with the most severe type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). These particular patients have unstable blood glucose, frequently occurring episodes of severe hypoglycaemia and impaired awareness of hypoglycaemia (IAH).

Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of islet transplantation in improving glycaemic control, reducing the burden of hypoglycaemia and improving awareness of hypoglycaemia through a single-centre cohort study at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of data collected over 3 years from the 16 patients who have undergone islet transplantation in Scotland. HbA1c was measured and continuous glucose monitoring systems (CGMS) were utilised to assess glycaemic control, while Gold and Clarke score questionnaires tested IAH.

Results: Glycaemic control significantly improved, as illustrated by percentage time in hypoglycaemia in the months following transplant (P=0.0211) and HbA1c (P=0.0426). Improved Clarke (P=0.0034) and Gold (P=0.0001) scores indicate improved glycaemic awareness following transplant.

Conclusion: Our observations in 16 patients suggest that in selected patients, islet transplantation can be a life-changing procedure capable of improving glycaemic control and IAH in select patients with a history of frequent and severe hypoglycaemia. Data can be collated with that from other UK centres to increase statistical power and establish statistical significance for correlation statistics.