Pancreas transplantation: does age increase morbidity?

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 (P > .05) between groups, excluding age. The two groups had comparable major and minor surgical complication rates (P = .10 and P = .25, resp.). The older group had a lower 1-year and overall AR rate (P = .04 and P = .03, resp.). The incidence of non-surgical infections and overall patient and graft survival was similar between groups (P > .05). Conclusion. Older patients with type 1 diabetes are feasible candidates for PTx, as surgical morbidity, incidence of infections, and AR rates are low.