[Disordered trace element content of the erythrocytes in diabetes mellitus]

Content of chemical elements (CE) in washed out erythrocytes was studied by nuclear-absorptive spectroscopy in 26 patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), 26 patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) and 29 healthy subjects. It was established that erythrocytes in IDDM contain significantly less amounts of cuprum, manganese and cobalt than in healthy subjects, content of zinc being increased. Contents of iron, cuprum, manganese and zinc were found to be decreased in patients with NIDDM as compared to the control. During the conventional treatment erythrocytes of patients with IDDM revealed increase of cuprum content while in NIDDM rise in amounts of iron, manganese, cobalt and zinc was observed. Changes of erythrocytes CE content in diabetes mellitus are supposed to be of compensatory-adaptive nature, for decompensation of IDDM and NIDDM is associated with more pronounced CE dysbalance. Increased erythrocyte content of zinc in IDDM may be explained by uptake of prolonged insulin used for substituting treatment.