More than one-third of chronic pancreatitis patients will eventually develop diabetes, recently classified as post-chronic pancreatitis diabetes mellitus (PPDM-C). This study was aimed to investigate the pancreatic and gut hormone responses to a mixed meal test in PPDM-C patients, compared with non-diabetic chronic pancreatitis (CP), and type 2 diabetes patients or healthy controls.

Sixteen patients with PPDM-C, 12 with non-diabetic CP as well as 10 with type 2 diabetes and healthy controls were recruited. All participants underwent mixed meal tests, and blood samples were collected for measurements of blood glucose, C-peptide, insulin, glucagon, pancreatic polypeptide (PP), ghrelin, peptide YY, glucagon like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and gastric inhibitory peptide (GIP). Indices of insulin sensitivity and secretion were calculated. Repeated measures analysis of variance was performed.

Participants with PPDM-C exhibited decreases in both fasting and postprandial responses of C-peptide (P < 0.001), insulin (P < 0.001), ghrelin (P < 0.001) and PYY (P = 0.006) compared to participants with type 2 diabetes and healthy controls. Patients with CP showed blunted glucagon, PP and incretin reactions, while the responses were increased in patients with PPDM-C compared to controls. The level of insulin sensitivity was higher for PPDM-C than type 2 diabetes (P < 0.01), however the indices for early/late-phase and overall insulin secretion (P < 0.01) were lower.

Patients with PPDM-C are characterized by decreased C-peptide, insulin, ghrelin and PYY responses, and similar levels of glucagon, PP, GIP and GLP-1 compared to those with type 2 diabetes. The above findings, when confirmed in a larger population, may prove helpful to establish the diagnosis of PPDM-C, and should promote study on underlying pathophysiological mechanisms.