Serum protein changes in diabetes mellitus]

To evaluate the serum protein pattern in a wide sample of diabetic patients using the simple method of electrophoresis, identifying the characteristics for each condition and correlating the various components.A retrospective study was made using medical records.The Institute of Clinical Medicine I at Palermo University Hospital during the years 1990, 1991 and 1992.156 patients suffering from diabetes mellitus, of whom 68 were Type 1 (IDDM) and 88 Type 2 (NIDDM). The latter were divided into non-obese (NO-NIDDM), obese (O-NIDDM) and "secondary failures" (SF-NIDDM) to oral hypoglycemic agents (receiving mixed treatment, TM-NIDDM, or insulin alone, I-NIDDM).In addition to personal and anthropometric data and clinical data, in particular dysmetabolic data, an electropherogram was performed in each patient.Higher serum albumin concentrations were found in patients with IDDM, NIDDM compared to I-NIDDM, with an overall inverse correlation between the duration of diabetes and albumin serum levels. On the contrary, serum levels of alpha-2 globulins were higher in I-NIDDM patients compared to IDDM, and directly correlated with the age and duration in the overall series. beta-globulin levels were lower in IDDM patients compared to all other groups, and were directly correlated with age and body mass index (BMI) in the overall series. No statistical significance or correlation was found between the two groups in relation to alpha 1 and gamma-globulins.The study showed a characteristic serum protein pattern for each group of diabetic patients examined, analysing the role of insulin but also the duration and typical pathological events of the natural history of diabetes on protein metabolism, not only with regard to the amino acid metabolism but also on the distribution of circulating proteins.