1983 Volume 26 Issue 8 Pages 815-821
A low recovery rate of urinary PABA in the PFD test suggesting pancreatic exocrine dysfunction has been reported in patients with primary diabetes mellitus.In order to investigate the possible mechanism of this abnormality, PABA absorption tests were performed combined with PFD tests, and changes in blood PABA levels were also observed following PFD and PABA administration with specific consideration of renal and hepatic dysfunction in patients with diabetes mellitus.
The PFD test in 53 cases of diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) of which 5 patients had increased serum creatinine levels within 2 mg/dl, showed a significantly lower value (67.8±13.8%, M±SD) than that of healthy control subjects (82.8±4.6%), while that in patients with chronic pancreatitis was markedly decreased (66.3±11.9%).Further, it was found that the PABA absorption test results were significantly low in diabetics, similarly to the results of the PFD test.The values of [PABA-PFD] in diabetics thus remained within the normal range (12.5±6.4%) as compared with the controls (8.8±3.0%), while they were significantly high in chronic pancreatitis (20.3±5.1%). In fact, there was a positive correlation between the values of the PFD test and renal function tests such as PSP (15 min) and creatinine clearance in diabetics.Based on the serum transaminase values, the effect of liver function on the PFD test was not great in the diabetics compared with that of renal function.
The above results suggest that abnormality of the PFD test in patients with diabetes mellitus can often be induced by a disturbed renal function rather than pancreatic exocrine hypofunction. Therefore, the PABA absorption test combined with PFD test or measurement of the serum PABA levels on the PFD test is recommended for examining the exocrine pancreatic function in primary diabetes mellitus.
