AUTOIMMUNITY IN DIABETIC AUTONOMIC NEUROPATHY - DOES THE IMMUNE-SYSTEM GET ON YOUR NERVES

Symptomatic autonomic neuropathy is a devastating occasional complicat ion of diabetes mellitus, especially Type 1. Although the full-blown c linical syndrome is not common, dysfunction of the autonomic nerves is detectable in up to 40 % of Type 1 diabetic patients but its aetiopat hogenesis is poorly understood. There is evidence to suggest that the damage to the autonomic nerves may be immune-mediated. This evidence i s reviewed in the following article. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.