Pancreatic and gut hormone responses to mixed meal test in post-chronic pancreatitis diabetes mellitus

Objective: More than one-third of chronic pancreatitis patients will eventually develop diabetes, recently classified as post-chronic pancreatitis diabetes mellitus (PPDM-C). This study was aimed to investigate the pancreatic and gut hormone responses to a mixed meal test in PPDM-C patients, compared with non-diabetic chronic pancreatitis (CP), and type 2 diabetes patients or healthy controls. Design and methods: Sixteen patients with PPDM-C, 12 with non-diabetic CP as well as 10 with type 2 diabetes and healthy controls were recruited. All participants underwent mixed meal tests, and blood samples were collected for measurements of blood glucose, C-peptide, insulin, glucagon, pancreatic polypeptide (PP), ghrelin, peptide YY, glucagon like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and gastric inhibitory peptide (GIP). Indices of insulin sensitivity and secretion were calculated. Repeated measures analysis of variance was performed. Results: Participants with PPDM-C exhibited decreases in both fasting and postprandial responses of C-peptide (P < 0.001), insulin (P < 0.001), ghrelin (P < 0.001) and PYY (P = 0.006) compared to participants with type 2 diabetes and healthy controls. Patients with CP showed blunted glucagon, PP and incretin reactions, while the responses were increased in patients with PPDM-C compared to controls. The level of insulin sensitivity was higher for PPDM-C than type 2 diabetes (P < 0.01), however the indices for early/late-phase and overall insulin secretion (P < 0.01) were lower. Conclusions: Patients with PPDM-C are characterized by decreased C-peptide, insulin, ghrelin and PYY responses, and similar levels of glucagon, PP, GIP and GLP-1 compared to those with type 2 diabetes. The above findings, when confirmed in a larger population, may prove helpful to establish the diagnosis of PPDM-C, and should promote study on underlying pathophysiological mechanisms. (C) 2021 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study investigated the pancreatic and gut hormone responses in patients with post-chronic pancreatitis diabetes mellitus (PPDM-C) compared to non-diabetic chronic pancreatitis (CP), type 2 diabetes patients, and healthy controls. The results showed that PPDM-C patients exhibited decreased responses of C-peptide, insulin, ghrelin, and PYY, and similar levels of glucagon, PP, GIP, and GLP-1 compared to type 2 diabetes patients. These findings provide valuable insights for the diagnosis and understanding of PPDM-C.