title: Effects of cyclosporine immunosuppression in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus of recent onset.
abstract: Type I diabetes may be an autoimmune disorder, although the evidence is largely circumstantial. The natural history of the disease after diagnosis includes partial remission in most patients, but only about 3 percent achieve transient insulin independence. beta Cell function, as indicated by the plasma concentration of C-peptide, is lost over 6 to 30 months and islet cell antibodies disappeared over 1 to 2 years. This article describes a pilot study in which 41 patients were treated with the immunosuppressive agent cyclosporine for 2 to 12 months. Of 30 patients treated within 6 weeks of diagnosis, 16 became insulin independent with concentrations of plasma C-peptide in the normal range and decreasing titers of islet cell antibodies. Of 11 patients who entered the study 8 to 44 weeks after diagnosis, two achieved this state. These results indicate that a controlled trial of the effects of cyclosporine in type I diabetes should be conducted.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000032:analysis; D002096:C-Peptide / Q000097:blood; D002648:Child; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood; D003524:Cyclosporins / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D005885:Gingival Hyperplasia / Q000139:chemically induced; D006801:Humans; D006983:Hypertrichosis / Q000139:chemically induced; D007328:Insulin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000276:immunology; D007668:Kidney / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D002096:C-Peptide; D003524:Cyclosporins; D007328:Insulin; D003404:Creatinine