[Long-term course of type I-simulating type II-diabetes mellitus]

In only few cases of primarily non- insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus after many years an absolute insulin dependency can develop. Within 5000 patients of a diabetic outpatient clinic in 2 years this happened in 21 patients. These patients offered a C-peptide-secretion after stimulation which was typical for an insulin dependent diabetes. The investigation of HLA-frequencies showed a marked increase of the DR 3 und DR 4 loci. These results demonstrate that obviously the genetically as type I characterized diabetes may appear clinically in the picture of type II-diabetes for many years. This must be taken in consideration in therapeutic or epidemiologic questions.