Association between Pancreatic Atrophy and Loss of Insulin Secretory Capacity in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

AIMS: To examine pancreatic volume (PV) changes among patients with different duration of type 2 diabetes and whether pancreatic atrophy was associated with loss of insulin secretory capacity. METHODS: This cross-sectional study (203 patients with type 2 diabetes, 93 controls without diabetes) was conducted from January 2016 to December 2017. Patients with type 2 diabetes were divided into 3 groups: recently diagnosed (duration ≤ 2 years), midterm (duration 3-9 years), and long term (duration ≥ 10 years). All the patients were scanned with upper abdominal computerized tomography; PV was then calculated by an experienced technician. Absolute insulin deficiency was defined as fasting C − peptide < 0.9 ng/mL. RESULTS: Compared with PV (cm(3)) in the controls, the mean PV was similar in patients with recently diagnosed type 2 diabetes (68.8 versus 71.0, P = 0.56) but significantly reduced in patients with midterm (68.8 versus 60.8, P < 0.05) and long-term (68.8 versus 53.1, P < 0.001) type 2 diabetes. A similar trend was observed for the PV index (PV adjusted for body surface area and body mass index). Furthermore, rates of pancreatic atrophy and absolute insulin deficiency increased with duration of diabetes. Multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that pancreatic atrophy was associated with higher likelihood of absolute insulin deficiency (odds ratio = 4.47, 95%confidence interval = 1.45‐13.8). CONCLUSIONS: PV was reduced in those with midterm and long-term type 2 diabetes compared to individuals without type 2 diabetes. Overall, pancreatic atrophy was associated with the loss of insulin secretory capacity in patients with type 2 diabetes.