Action of bromocriptine on glucose metabolism in diabetics

: 24 diabetics, (9 thin diabetics, 14 cases of maturity onset diabetes, 6 intermediate forms and one case of partial pancreatectomy) received 7.5 to 20 mg of bromocriptine (CB 154) per 24 hours. A definite improvement in glucose metabolism was noted in 6 cases, a definite aggravation in 4 cases; 14 results were not significant (p-0.05). The efficacy of CB 154 did not depend on the clinical type nor on the patient's age. It appeared related to duration of the diabetes (2 years and 3 months in improved patients, 11 years in aggravated patients) and perhaps the degree of retinopathy (more frequent and severe in aggravated patients). The improvement seems to be linked to the existence in certain diabetics of a paradoxical regulation of STH secretion as in acromegaly. The possibility of a peripheral effect of bromocriptine on insulin and glucagon is discussed. The CB 154 test (estimations of STH after a single dose of 2.5 mg) permits one to foresee the efficacy of the drug and perhaps the risk of diabetic retinopathy.