Insulin Dependence and Poor Glycemic Control Drive Diabetes Distress, finds study

In order to identify predictors of burnout syndrome among members of this unique population of surgeons, a research team comprised of clinicians performed an analysis of registry data that had been collected over several years. The researchers examined 124 patients involved in the LIFT cohort – the Long-Term Islet Function and Impact after TPIAT – focusing specifically on subjects who had undergone their surgery 5 to 20 years ago. The research team collected comprehensive metrics on conventional insulin doses, clinical evidence of graft function based on measurements of C-peptide, CGM outcomes, and a history of acute metabolic complications.

Diabetes distress measures were measured via psychometric tools and compared through independent t-tests. Next, the research team performed multivariable linear regression analyses with robust adjustment for key demographic factors.

Key findings:

• The selected population for analysis includes 73% female subjects with a median age of 47 years old.
• This population has a steady median HbA1c rate of 6.6%, as well as 81% of the patients successfully reaching more than 50% CGM time in range (TIR).
• Functionality of transplanted islets in terms of biological activity with a C-peptide level of 0.6 ng/mL or more has been confirmed in 92% of the studied patients, thus ensuring that 31% of the entire study population becomes completely independent from external insulin use.
• The group of people who remain or become insulin-dependent demonstrates statistically significant higher diabetes distress scores, as their mean is 1.78 ± 0.70, which is substantially higher compared to the insulin-independent group with 1.52 ± 0.64 as an average value (p = 0.043).
• Insulin-dependent patients who spend less than 50% of their daily period in a safe range (TIR < 50%) have a high mean diabetes distress score, being 2.10 ± 0.76 as opposed to the steady score of 1.57 ± 0.70 among people with TIR > 70% (p = 0.021).

Insulin dependency and lack of glycemic regulation play a vital role in DD. It is crucial to solve this issue in order to have positive results both for the glycemic and psychological state of the patients. The long-term effects of the LIFT study show clearly that traditional transplant treatment ignores an important aspect of care for people with DD – their islet cell survival should not be considered if the patient suffers emotionally.

Reference:

Ishola, Faidat Adeola, et al. "Poor Glycemic Status Is Associated With Diabetes Distress After Total Pancreatectomy With Islet Autotransplantation." Clinical Transplantation, vol. 40, no. 5, 2026, pp. e70573.