Hyperalaninaemia is an early feature of diabetes secondary to total pancreatectomy

High levels of gluconeogenic precursors have been reported in patients with long-term diabetes secondary to total pancreatectomy. In the present study, blood concentrations of alanine, lactate and pyruvate were measured in six patients undergoing total pancreatectomy and in nine control subjects undergoing major abdominal surgery. To exclude the simple effect of lack of insulin and hyperglycaemia in the development of hyperalaninaemia following total pancreatectomy, three pancreatectomized patients and five control subjects underwent surgical operation while connected to an artificial pancreas. Blood concentration of alanine was constant in the control subjects during surgery (182 +/- 20 and 243 +/- 31 mumol/l with and without the artificial pancreas, respectively). In pancreatectomized patients basal blood alanine levels were similar to those in control subjects. Blood alanine level rose quickly after removal of the pancreas from 182 +/- 24 to 285 +/- 15 mumol/1 (p less than 0.05) in the patients connected to the artificial pancreas, and from 198 +/- 17 to 395 +/- 47 mumol/1 (p less than 0.05) in patients undergoing total pancreatectomy without artificial pancreas. These values were higher than those observed in the control subjects at the end of the operation (192 +/- 22 and 230 +/- 45 mumol/l with and without artificial pancreas, respectively.) Basal and intraoperative blood concentrations of lactate and pyruvate were similar in pancreatectomized patients and control subjects.