[Immune status of patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus]

Immune status of 48 patients with noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) was studied by the cytotoxic test with monoclonal antibodies. The majority of NIDDM patients were found to develop secondary immunodeficiency of the relative hyposuppressor type, the degree of immune shifts augmenting with the disease duration and as they acquire insulin dependence.