Why are patients with protein in their urine or poor kidney function excluded?
Islet studies require that you take medications called immunosuppressants. These drugs keep your body from rejecting (destroying) the transplanted islets. Although the immunosuppressant medications currently used have fewer and less significant side effects than medications used in the past, some of the medications are “nephrotoxic,” meaning they can damage the kidneys. We do not want immunosuppressant medications to cause anyone to have kidney failure or need dialysis. As the medications that are used in islet transplant recipients continue to evolve, there may eventually be a combination that does not affect kidney function. At that time, the trials may be a safe option for people that already have kidney disease.
