Low prevalence of diabetes distress following total pancreatectomy with islet autotransplantation

Diabetes distress (DD), or psychological fatigue associated with diabetes management, is common in type 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus and is associated with poor glycemic control. Diabetes distress has never been evaluated in patients undergoing total pancreatectomy with islet autotransplant (TPIAT) for chronic pancreatitis. We analyzed DD after TPIAT in 260 patients (average age 34.3 [standard deviation 15], 75.5% F) undergoing TPIAT between 2006 and 2014. Each patient completed 1 or more diabetes distress scale (DDS) questionnaires from 1 to 7 years post-TPIAT (631 total). We examined changes in DD over 7 years and also patient characteristics associated with DD 1 year post-TPIAT (n = 189). One year after TPIAT, 151 of 189 (80%) reported no or low distress (DD<2). Diabetes distress increased over time by an average of 0.084 (SE 0.017) points per year, an average 0.59 point increase from years 1 to 7 (P <.0001). Insulin-dependent patients had significantly greater DD 1 year post-TPIAT compared to insulin-independent patients (P <.0001). Higher DD was associated with poorer glycemic control as indicated by HbA1c (P <.0001). Prevalence of DD is low but increases over time after TPIAT. Insulin dependence and poorer glycemic control are associated with higher levels of DD.