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OBJECTIVE—Diabetes associated with autoimmune chronic pancreatitis (ACP) is a subtype of diabetes that is responsive to corticosteroid treatment of progressive endocrine and exocrine dysfunction. However, little is known about pathological changes of islet and exocrine pancreas in ACP.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—We examined pancreatic specimens obtained on biopsy from four diabetic men with ACP (mean [range]: age 62 years [48–78], duration of ACP 3 months [1–5], duration of diabetes 1 month [0–3]) morphologically, immunohistochemically, and morphometrically.

RESULTS—The pancreatic specimens in all cases exhibited inflammatory cell infiltration surrounding ductal cells and extensive fibrosis. Some islets were infiltrated with mononuclear cells with disrupted β-cells. The subsets of T-cells infiltrated to the islets were mainly CD8⁺. Islet β-cell volume was …