INTRINSIC-FACTOR ANTIBODY, PARIETAL-CELL ANTIBODY, AND LATENT PERNICIOUS ANÆMIA IN DIABETES MELLITUS

A survey was made of 400 diabetic patients not previously suspected of having addisonian pernicious anæmia: these included 200 insulin-dependent diabetics and 200 non-insulin-dependent diabetics. Suitable controls were included for serological tests. The prevalence of latent pernicious anæmia was 4% in insulin-dependent diabetes compared with nil in non-insulin-dependent diabetes. The prevalence of antibodies to gastric intrinsic factor and parietal cells in insulin-dependent diabetics of 4% and 28%, respectively, was significantly greater than in the non-insulin-dependent diabetics, 0% and 14%, and in control subjects, 1% and 11%. The frequent coexistence of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus with features of pernicious anæmia suggests a genetic and/or autoimmune relationship between these two disorders.