ALCOHOL-ASSOCIATED DIABETES-MELLITUS - A REVIEW OF THE IMPACT OF ALCOHOL-CONSUMPTION ON CARBOHYDRATE-METABOLISM

Most cases of diabetes mellitus result from decrease insulin secretion (type I, insulin-dependent) or altered insulin action (type II, insul in-independent). Another category, namely, ''other'' diabetes mellitus -associated conditions, is usually mentioned to distinguish this type of diabetes from the other two categories; this category includes drug s, genetic and endocrine syndromes, and pancreatic disorders. The most common pancreatic disease that causes diabetes mellitus is chronic pa ncreatitis that results from alcohol abuse. The clinical observation o f patients at our institution with long histories of heavy alcohol int ake and diabetes mellitus prompted us to review the impact of alcohol on carbohydrate metabolism. In many of these patients, it was notable that they were not obese and they had no immediate family members with diabetes mellitus, raising the possibility that alcohol-associated di abetes mellitus may be a distinct subset of non-insulin-dependent diab etes mellitus that is distinct from type II diabetes mellitus.