[Proliferating retinopathy in diabetes mellitus. Clinical and autopsy results]

Clinical and autoptic investigations of thirty patients suffering from diabetes mellitus and retinopathia proliferans result in these findings: Of the various manifestations of angiopathy only retinopathy (leading symptom), nephropathy, and arterial hypertension are present in all cases, all other forms receeding into the background numerically, though not in potency. 20 cases of nephropathy ended in uremia (cause of death), 10 cases in azotemia. In 14 out of 20 cases of uremia specific glomerulosclerosis (M. Kimmelstiel-Wilson) was stated autoptically, in the remaining 6 cases a different form of nephropathy was found (pyelonephritis, arteriosclerosis renum, chronic glomerulonephritis). In the 10 patients suffering from azotemia, direct causes of death were various general diseases, such as coronary sclerosis, encephalomalacia, pyogenic infections, and acute tuberculosis.

Diabetes mellitus in connection with retinopathia proliferans turns out to be the most serious form of the general diabetic disease.