Marked Impairment of the Effect of Hyperglycaemia on Glucose Uptake and Glucose Production in Insulin‐dependent Diabetes

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The effect of hyperglycaemia per se on glucose utilization and glucose production was evaluated in 12 patients with insulin‐dependent diabetes and in 9 non‐diabetic control subjects. In diabetic patients normoglycaemia was maintained during the night preceding the study by a variable intravenous insulin infusion. During the study endogenous insulin secretion was suppressed by somatostatin (300 μg h−1) and replaced by infusion of insulin (0.2 mU kg−1 min−1). Glucose utilization and hepatic glucose production rates were quantified at two plasma glucose concentrations (6.7 and 16.7 mmoll−1) using the two‐step sequential hyperglycaemic clamp technique in combination with 3‐3H‐glucose tracer infusion. Duration of each step was 120 min. In diabetic patients glucose utilization, at a glucose concentration of 6.7 mmol ***l−1, was not different from normal (mean ± SE: 2.9±0.2 vs 3.6±0.3 mg kg−1 min−1, 0.05<p−1 min−1, p−1 (1.4±0.1 vs 1.4±0.1 mg kg−1 min−1, NS), but whereas in control subjects glucose production was suppressed during hyperglycaemia of 16.7 mmoll−1 (0.3±0.4 mg kg−1 min−1,p−1 min−1, p<0.05).In conclusion we found the effect of hyperglycaemia in both glucose utilization and hepatic glucose production to be reduced in patients with insulin‐dependent diabetes.