[Experience with the treatment of diabetic coma]

To investigate the effect of low-dose versus high-dose insulin treatment of Kussmaul's coma, the authors treated 2 groups of relevant patients. Group I treated with low-dose insulin in combination with other therapeutic measures achieved a progressive decrease of glycemia within 8 hours. Complications were not registered. Group II on high-dose insulin scheme exhibited a drop in blood sugar resultant in hypoglycemia in 4, hypotonia in 2, brain edema in 1 patient. The absence of complications, availability and simplicity support the advantages of the low-dose regime which is now widely introduced into clinical practice.