title: Abnormalities in gallbladder dynamics of type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetic patients with autonomic neuropathy.
abstract: The aim of this study was to evaluate gallbladder dynamics in insulin-dependent diabetic patients with and without autonomic neuropathy. Gallbladder dynamics was studied by a scintigraphic method after a test meal in 26 insulin-dependent diabetic patients and 10 normal individuals. The presence and severity of autonomic neuropathy were defined according to the number of abnormal cardiovascular reflex tests: absent (no abnormal test), mild (1-3 abnormal tests), and severe (4-5 abnormal tests). The time from the moment when the patient started to take the test meal to the beginning of gallbladder emptying was longer (P = 0.01) in diabetic patients with mild (N = 11, 12.1 +/- 7.6 min) and severe neuropathy (N = 8, 11.0 +/- 10.6 min) than diabetic patients without autonomic neuropathy (N = 7, 3.9 +/- 4.4 min) and controls (N = 10, 4.8 +/- 4.2 min). The ejection rate was higher (P = 0.02) in the group with severe autonomic neuropathy (N = 8, 5.1 +/- 3.3%/min) than diabetic patients with mild (N = 11, 2.0 +/- 1.0%/min) or without autonomic neuropathy (N = 7, 1.8 +/- 0.8%/min) and controls (N = 10, 2.6 +/- 1%/min). Thirty-two percent of the diabetic patients with autonomic neuropathy presented increased perspiration, nausea and urgency to defecate after the ingestion of the test meal. A significant positive correlation of ejection rate with the presence of these symptoms (biserial point correlation test = 0.67, P < 0.01) was also observed. These data suggest that insulin-dependent diabetic patients with autonomic neuropathy present abnormalities of gallbladder emptying that could be related to specific gastrointestinal symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Serviço de Medicina Nuclear, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Brasil.
authors.forename: E B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Ludwig
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Gross
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pecis
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: de-Azevedo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001342:Autonomic Nervous System Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003929:Diabetic Neuropathies / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D005704:Gallbladder / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005947:Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging
chemical_list: D005947:Glucose