Evaluation of type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Risk in Patients withpost Trauma Splenectomy

Recent studies suggest that the spleen has an important role as a source of multipotent stemcells and precursors of beta cells of pancreas islets. In addition, increased risk of developing hyperglycemiawas reported in patients who underwent splenectomy due to trauma in long-term follow up. Therefore, theremight be an association between splenectomy and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus. In this study,we evaluated the risk of type 2 diabetes and its risk factors including hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, obesity andhypertension in trauma patients with splenectomy.

In this study, 221 patients whounderwent splenectomy surgery due to trauma in the surgical ward of Imam Hossein Hospital 5 to 10 yearsago were selected. Those with a history of diabetes, cancer, hyperthyroidism, Cushing’s syndrome, pancreatitis,renal failure, and cirrhosis were excluded from the study. Then fasting plasma glucose, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c),triglyceride, cholesterol and high density lipoprotein (HDL), body mass index and blood pressure have beenevaluated in 90 patients who had had a history of splenectomy due to trauma from 2007, July 23 to 2012, July 22.

The results indicate that none of these patients has diabetes, 14.4 percent are in pre-diabetic stage, 56.6percent has dyslipidemia, 57.7 percent has obesity and 20 percent has hypertension.

The resultsof this study suggest that splenectomy does not increase the risk of type 2 diabetes. Prevalence of diabetes riskfactors was approximately the same with those of Tehran population.