Why Are Pancreatic Issues Hard To Detect?

— -- Question: I'm Darlene from Bothell. I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1995. My question is pancreatic issues are so hard to detect, or so I hear. Why is that?

Answer: Hi Darlene, hope you're doing well. And the question you asked is very important regarding the pancreatic issues with the type 1 diabetes. Now the pancreas is one organ which is very difficult to scan. The problem is, the part of the pancreas that causes diabetes is scattered throughout the pancreas. And it is such a tiny organ; the size of a dime, which is spread out throughout the pancreas.

And that's why the pancreatic issues are very hard to dissect as to what really causes type 1 diabetes. And thus, pretty much for all practical purposes, we have to rely on antibody markers for diagnosing the type 1 diabetes. And this is unfortunate till such time we can find way to really scan the pancreas well and find out what goes on, specifically in the beta cells. Type 1 diabetes treatment and cure would remain a big challenge in diabetes management.