In 18 patients with pernicious anaemia (PA) the authors assessed the blood glucose level, C-peptide level and immunoreactive insulin (IRI) during the oral glucose tolerance test (o-GTT). They calculated the body mass index (BMI), assessed the level of the thyroid-stimulating hormone (s-TSH), free thyroxine (fT4), triiodothyronine (T3) and took repeatedly blood pressure readings. In one female patient they confirmed the diagnosis of insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), in another six subjects they detected non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), incl. two persons where it was detected newly. In four patients impaired glucose tolerance was revealed. In the remaining seven patients non-classifiable glucose tolerance was found, none of the patients had a quite normal o-GTT. In five patients, hitherto not diagnosed latent hypothyroidism was detected. Eleven subjects were obese, four patients suffered from hypertension, another six from systolic hypertension, in eight patients a significantly elevated C-peptide level on fasting was found, in the majority of patients an elevated, or protracted response of C-peptide and insulin to orally administered glucose was found. Patients with pernicious anaemia must be considered subjects with cumulation of risk factors for atherosclerosis; these risk factors must be actively sought and treated.

Keywords: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Anemia, Pernicious /blood/; Arteriosclerosis /complications/; Blood Glucose /analysis/; C-Peptide /blood/; Diabetes Complications; Female; Glucose Tolerance Test; Humans; Hyperinsulinism /complications/; Insulin /blood/; Male; Middle Aged; Risk Factors