[Long-term remission in fresh acute diabetes mellitus]

Among 28 patients with acute diabetes mellitus of recent onset, long-term remission (25-48 months) was obtained in 14 and medium-term remission (10-24 months) in the other 14. At the onset of the disease these two groups were very similar: remissions were longer in the older patients and shorter in the leaner ones. In patients seen at an early stage, there is no hormonal or immunological data to differentiate between those who will be in remission and those who will not. In our series, insulin secretion was the same in all patients at the onset of diabetes and at the end of the remission period. Further explorations suggested some degree of resistance to insulin, but this was easily overcome by the initial intravenous insulin treatment and by the conventional subcutaneous insulin treatment after the remission had ceased. Our data show the weakness of arguments which separate insulin-dependent from non insulin-dependent patients in acute diabetes mellitus of recent onset.