Increase in clinically recorded type 2 diabetes after colectomy
Anders B Jensen,
Thorkild IA Sørensen,
Oluf Pedersen,
Tine Jess,
Søren Brunak,
Kristine H Allin
Affiliations
Anders B Jensen
Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; Institute for Next Generation Healthcare, Mount Sinai Health System, New York, United States
Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Section of Metabolic Genetics, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; Department of Public Health, Section of Epidemiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Oluf Pedersen
Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Section of Metabolic Genetics, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Tine Jess
Center for Clinical Research and Prevention, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
Søren Brunak
Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Section of Metabolic Genetics, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; Center for Clinical Research and Prevention, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
The colon hosts gut microbes and glucagon-like peptide 1 secreting cells, both of which influence glucose homeostasis. We tested whether colectomy is associated with development of type 2 diabetes. Using nationwide register data, we identified patients who had undergone total colectomy, partial colectomy, or proctectomy. For each colectomy patient, we selected 15 non-colectomy patients who had undergone other surgeries. Compared with non-colectomy patients, patients with total colectomy (n = 3,793) had a hazard ratio (HR) of clinically recorded type 2 diabetes of 1.40 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.21 to 1.62; p<0.001). Corresponding HRs after right hemicolectomy (n = 10,989), left hemicolectomy (n = 2,513), and sigmoidectomy (n = 13,927) were 1.08 (95% CI, 0.99 to 1.19; p=0.10), 1.41 (95% CI, 1.19 to 1.67; p<0.001) and 1.30 (95% CI, 1.21 to 1.40; p<0.001), respectively. Although we were not able to adjust for several potential confounders, our findings suggest that the left colon may contribute to maintenance of glucose homeostasis.
