Improvement in diabetic neuropathy 4 years after successful pancreatic and renal transplantation.

We have studied the fate of diabetic neuropathy and autonomic function in 13 patients with long standing Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus following combined pancreas and kidney transplantation. Fifteen diabetic patients with a kidney graft only served as controls. After initial improvement of the neuropathy in both groups, probably caused by the elimination of uraemia, a continuous improvement during the 48 months study was seen in the euglycaemic pancreas graft recipients only. Autonomic (parasympathetic) function improved only slightly and to a similar extent in both groups.