Air date: January 23, 2011

Host: Kathy Miller, MD

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Interview: Jonathan Fridell, MD, transplant surgeon
Indiana University Health

Type one diabetes typically affects children and young adults, and it is usually treated with insulin injections.

For severe diabetics, an extreme treatment option is a pancreas transplant. It is a procedure that essentially cures type 1 diabetes, although patients must remain on immunosuppressant drugs for the rest of their lives.

Jonathan Fridell, MD, is director of pancreas transplantation at Indiana University Health University Hospital. He explained to Sound Medicine’s Dr. Kathy Miller how the procedure works and who it benefits.

Additional Resources:

• Read about one diabetes patient who benefitted from pancreas transplant surgery. From the IndyChannel.com.