Individuals with Type 1 diabetes have a smaller pancreas than people without diabetes

[Amity Island]

Individuals with Type 1 diabetes have a smaller pancreas than people without diabetes. This is surprising because insulin-producing beta cells account for just a small fraction of the pancreas, so the loss of beta cells in Type 1 diabetes would not be expected to reduce pancreas size.

Now, a study of one family from Alabama has led Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers to discover that insulin deficiency, independent of the autoimmunity associated with Type 1 diabetes, is the principal factor leading to a markedly smaller pancreas.

Insulin deficiency leads to reduced pancreas size in type 1 diabetes

Individuals with Type 1 diabetes have a smaller pancreas than people without diabetes. This is surprising because insulin-producing beta cells account for just a small fraction of the pancreas, so the loss of beta cells in Type 1 diabetes would not be expected to reduce pancreas size.

www.news-medical.net

 

[Amity Island]

Individuals with Type 1 diabetes have a smaller pancreas than people without diabetes. This is surprising because insulin-producing beta cells account for just a small fraction of the pancreas, so the loss of beta cells in Type 1 diabetes would not be expected to reduce pancreas size.

Now, a study of one family from Alabama has led Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers to discover that insulin deficiency, independent of the autoimmunity associated with Type 1 diabetes, is the principal factor leading to a markedly smaller pancreas.

https://www.news-medical.net/news/2...duced-pancreas-size-in-type-1-diabetes . aspx

HiHi

Hi @everydayupsanddowns

Have you heard about this before, have you any more info on this?

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

No, not heard of this before.

Seems they lucked out with a family being mistakenly diagnosed with T1 when they actually had MODY?

Four members of this family of eight have monogenic diabetes from a rare mutation in the insulin gene, leading to insulin deficiency without autoimmunity. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the pancreas showed a reduced size and altered shape in the individuals with diabetes. This was similar to what had previously been observed in individuals with Type 1 diabetes.

"We know the pancreas is much smaller in individuals with Type 1 diabetes, but there haven't been good models to understand exactly what's going on," said Wright, an instructor in the Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism and first author on the manuscript. "This is the first time we can actually demonstrate in humans that insulin is a major factor in determining pancreas size and the loss of it leads to a much smaller pancreas."

Not sure if the findings have much practical use myself - I would imaging that like many things (feet, fingers, hearts...) sizes of physical attributes vary from one person to another, and don't necessarily scale uniformly.

So while you might expect a very tall person to have longer legs than average... they may also have a smaller or larger nose than average.