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ABNORMALITIES OF GLUCAGON METABOLISM IN DIABETES MELLITUS
Author(s) -
DAY J. L.,
ANDERSON J.
Publication year - 1973
Publication title -
clinical endocrinology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.055
H-Index - 147
eISSN - 1365-2265
pISSN - 0300-0664
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2265.1973.tb00422.x
Subject(s) - glucagon , medicine , endocrinology , diabetes mellitus , insulin , radioimmunoassay , metabolism , carbohydrate metabolism
SUMMARY Fasting plasma glucagon has been measured by a specific radioimmunoassay in twenty‐three untreated maturity onset diabetic patients and twenty‐three matched normal controls. Significant fasting hyperglucagonaemia was demonstrated in the diabetic subjects in spite of their raised blood glucose and insulin concentrations. Oral glucose tolerance tests were performed on ten diabetic subjects and ten normal controls and variations in blood glucose, insulin and glucagon concentration studied. Glucagon concentration was shown to increase significantly after oral glucose in the diabetic subjects and to fall in the normal controls. The differences between the changes in glucagon concentration in the two groups could not be related to the differences in insulin response. It is proposed that these findings provide evidence of derangement of metabolism within the alpha cell in maturity onset diabetes.