[Glucagon and insulin levels in diabetes mellitus patients]

Insulin and glucagon levels and their molar ratio were examined in patients with medium severity diabetes mellitus and stage I-III obesity given sugar-reducing drugs perorally. Immunoreactive insulin and immunoreactive glucagon, levels varied within broad limits, with a trend to increase in the majority of patients. Both low (1.4) and high (10.9) molar ratios of insulin and glucagon were observed (it comprised 3.4 in the control group). The degree of obesity did not always correlate with the molar ratio or with the immunoreactive insulin level. During treatment a trend for normalization of the insulin/glucagon molar ration was noted. The insulin/glucagon ratio may be used as an index of the efficacy of the treatment.