[Residual insulin secretion in juvenile diabetes. Relationships with duration of diabetes, metabolic control and retinopathy (author's transl)]

Abstract

This study concerned 74 diabetic children and adolescents, ages ranging from 3 to 21 years. Duration of the disease ranged from 1 month to 15 years. Blood samples were taken during a 12 month period of observation. 292 immunoreactive C-peptide (CPR) evaluations showed a residual endogeneous secretion of insulin in 57% of cases. CPR and duration of diabetes were negatively correlated (r = -0.35; p less than 0.01); however, even 5 years after onset of the disease, a residual beta-cell activity could be observed. CPR was not related with blood glucose, triglyceride, cholesterol or glycosylated hemoglobin levels. On the other hand, CPR was statistically higher in patients whose diabetes had been well-controlled from the onset of the disease, according to clinical criteria, and in those who did not present with retinopathy: however they were also the patients with the shortest duration of disease.