[Excretion of catecholamines in juvenile diabetes mellitus]

Twenty four hours' urinary excretion of catecholamines was examined in 30 children suffering from diabetes and in 30 healthy children. The results showed that in children suffering from diabetes, excretion of adrenaline was increased and that of noradrenaline decreased when compared with healthy children. Taking into consideration changes in the sympatho-adrenergic system activity in cases with different degrees of compensation of metabolic processes during insulinization, it should be stressed that in children with ketoacidosis, excretion of catecholamines was still different in comparison with control group. On the other hand in children with compensate diabetes after insulin therapy, that differences were little. Marked increase in free adrenaline excretion observed in children with ketoacidosis and its normalization by effective insulinization seems to support the diabetogenic and ketogenic role of this neurohormone. Decrease in free noradrenaline excretion in children suffering from juvenile diabetes appears to suggest that there is a diminished sensitivity of the sympathetic system resulting probably from specific autonomic neuropathy accompanying this disease.