“Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is inflammation of the pancreas that does not heal or improve—it gets worse over time and leads to permanent damage. Chronic pancreatitis eventually impairs a patient’s ability to digest food and make pancreatic hormones. Chronic pancreatitis often develops in patients between the ages of 30 and 40, and is more common in men than women.” ––National Pancreas Foundation
CP can lead to a number of secondary complications, some of which are serious if not treated appropriately: chronic debilitating pain, diabetes mellitus, malnutrition, metabolic bone disease, and pancreatic cancer.
The only cure for CP is total pancreatectomy (TP). However, TP raises other risks including diabetes mellitus, exocrine insufficiency, and the risks associated with a major surgery. Islet auto transplant (IAT) after TP can mitigate some of these risks. Orgenesis’ experience with TP-IAT demonstrates that increasing numbers of patients will benefit from TP-IAT and achieve long-term pain relief from CP, increased quality of life, and a good chance for insulin independence.
There are a number of excellent resources to learn more about chronic pancreatitis and related complications, the risks and benefits of various treatments:
