Pancreatic Elastase-1 in Stools, a Marker of Exocrine Pancreas Function, Correlates With Both Residual β-Cell Secretion and Metabolic Control in Type 1 Diabetic Subjects
Response to Cavalot et al.
- Bruno Mueller, MD,
- Fajfr Radko, MD and
- Peter Diem, MD
- Endocrine and Diabetes Division, University of Bern, Inselspital, Bern, Switzerland
- Address correspondence to Bruno Mueller, MD, Endocrine and Diabetes Division, University of Bern, Inselspital, 3010 Bern, Switzerland. E-mail: bruno.mueller{at}insel.ch
There is increasing evidence that exocrine pancreatic function may be impaired in patients with type 1 diabetes (1,2). Cavalot et al. (3) found that fecal pancreatic elastase-1 (PE-1) was significantly lower in 37 consecutive type 1 diabetic subjects than in 20 healthy control subjects. PE-1 values were directly correlated to C-peptide values and inversely correlated to HbA1c (A1C) and diabetes duration. No correlation between BMI and PE-1 was found. The authors therefore concluded that both residual insulin secretion and glycemic control have relevant effects on exocrine pancreatic function in type 1 diabetic patients.
In contrast to these findings, we found no association between PE-1 values …
