Demographics

This table (Table 3) shows the basic demographics for US primary cadaver pancreas transplants 01/01/96-10/07/2002 (SPK 80%, PAK 14%, PTA 6%). PTA recipients were significantly younger than PAK and SPK recipients; SPK recipients were younger than PAK recipients. There are more male pancreas transplant recipients than female in SPK and PAK categories (diabetic nephropathy is more frequent in men); more women than men in PTA category (this reason is unclear since overall incidence of diabetes is similar in both sexes). Duration of diabetes prior to transplant was longest in PAK and SPK and shortest in PTA recipients. Preservation time was significantly shorter in SPK transplants, most of which are locally procured as compared to PAK and PTA for which a greater proportion are shared among organ procurement organizations (OPOs). Recipients were youngest in PTA and oldest in PAK. Donor age was essentially the same among all three transplant categories; only 3% of donors were over age 50. The number of HLA mismatches was significantly lower in PTA and PAK, showing an increased focus on HLA matching for these transplant categories. Waiting time was significantly longer for SPK as compared to PAK and PTA, reflecting the shortage of kidneys for transplant. While the majority of recipients were white (79%); (type1 diabetes is higher in the white race compared to other racial groups), the number of minority (non-white) pancreas transplants, in particular African-American individuals, has increased from 4% in 1987-90 and now comprises more than 1 in 10 SPK transplants. Previous analyses have shown no difference in pancreas transplant outcome by recipient race.

Table 3