Remittant diabetes mellitus in Nigeria

Forty three newly diagnosed non-obese Nigerian diabetic patients (20 males and 23 females), who required insulin for initial control, were left without dietary control and were followed up for a minimum period of one and half years in each case. Four patients (9.3%) are in true remissions up to the time of writing. Eight other patients (18.6%) went through varying periods of apparent remissions of between three months and 19 months. It seems that even non-obese Nigerian diabetics may remit despite a free diet and initial need for insulin. The reasons for diabetic remissions remain largely unexplained but may be related, in Nigeria, to the aetiological nature of diabetes mellitus in this part of the world.