Can a pancreas transplant cure diabetes?
Not necessarily. In certain people with diabetes, a pancreas transplant can restore the body’s ability to secrete insulin — thus reducing blood sugar levels and eliminating the need for insulin therapy. But transplant should not be taken lightly. A pancreas transplant poses health risks and doesn’t always remove the need for additional diabetes treatment. Insulin is a hormone. When you eat, the pancreas — a gland located just behind and below the stomach — releases insulin into your bloodstream. As insulin circulates through the blood, it allows sugar to enter the cells, lowering the amount of sugar in the bloodstream. If the body doesn’t have enough insulin, sugar can build up in the blood. Diabetes is the condition of having too much blood sugar (glucose). There are two types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes develops when the pancreas produces little or no insulin. The exact cause of type 1 diabetes isn’t clear. In most people with type 1 diabetes, the body’s immune system mistakenly des
