DIABETES-MELLITUS IN AN ADULT CYSTIC-FIBROSIS POPULATION

Medical records of 132 patients attending an adult cystic fibrosis (CF ) clinic were analysed to define the prevalence and clinical significa nce of diabetes mellitus (DM) in CF. Eighty four (63.6%) had normal bl ood glucose levels, 30 (22.8%) had hyperglycaemia only during intercur rent illness and 18(13.6%) had DM. No significant differences were not ed between the diabetic and non-diabetic groups for age, gender, heigh t, weight, body mass index (BMI), forced expiratory volume in one seco nd (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) and pancreatic supplementati on, Patients with hyperglycaemia during intercurrent illness had signi ficantly lower BMI, FEV1% and FVC% than those with normal blood glucos e levels. Of the diabetics four were managed on diet, three received o ral hypoglycaemic agents and eleven were insulin requiring. The preval ence of DM in CF is considerable, severity of CF does not correlate wi th development of overt DM, and CF patients should be screened for DM by an oral glucose tolerance test on reaching adulthood.