Clinical analysis of fulminant type 1 diabetes in China and comparison with a nationwide survey in Japan

Objectives. - To report 26 cases of fulminant type 1 diabetes found in Guangdong Medical College Futian Hospital and Central South University Second Xiangya Hospital in China and to study the difference between Chinese and Japanese patients. Methods. - The clinical and biochemical characteristics of 26 patients who had been diagnosed with fulminant type I diabetes mellitus in China were analyzed retrospectively and then compared with those characteristics of 161 patients from a nationwide survey in Japan at the time of diagnosis and follow-up 6 months. Results. - The mean values of the characteristics from these two data sets, including fasting and postprandial serum C-peptide concentration, serum sodium and potassium level, positive for GADAb were significantly different (P = 0.003, P = 0.005, P = 0.035, P = 0.030, P < 0.001, respectively). Conclusions. - The clinical and biochemical characteristics of Chinese patients did not largely differ from those of Japanese patients. Further studies are needed for some unique characteristics found in our group. (c) 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.