To investigate the uric acid production in patients with diabetes mellitus, serum adenosine deaminase (ADA) activity was determined and the following results were obtained.
1) The ADA levels in diabetics were not different compared with those in normals. The ADA levels in the group with fasting blood sugar (FBS) over 150 mg/dl were significantly higher than those with FBS below 130 mg/dl.
2) There were no significant correlations between the ADA levels and the serum uric acid levels and the urinary uric acid.
The above results indicated the possibility of inc r e ase in uric acid production in diabetics.