[Nature of changes in glucagon secretion in diabetes mellitus]

Radioimmunological method was applied to the study of glucagon content in patients with diabetes mellitus of different severity and duration of the disease. Glucagon level on fasting stomach in patients with diabetes at the state of compensation failed to differ from that in healthy persons. But in decomensated disease with the ketoacidosis phenomena there was a sharp elevation of glucagon content with restoration to the normal after the compensation was reached. In patients with diabetes mellitus complicated by diabetic retinopathy blood glucagon content failed to correlate with the incidence of retinopathy. However, there was a direct relationship between the incidence of retinopathy and the duration of the disease. In adipose diabetic patients glucagon content was elevated, but this rise was insignificant in comparison with healthy persons.