Clinical investigation on glucose tolerance in liver cirrhosis.

Forty-six patients with liver cirrhosis were classified into three groups according to glucose tolerance test and the presence or absence of diabetic state. The results of xylitol tolerance test, galactose tolerance test, BSP retention, ICG disappearance rate and other routine liver function tests were compared between these three groups. The results show that liver cirrhosis in patients with overt diabetes was less severe than that in non-diabetics. It is conceivable, therefore, that the glucose intolerance in most of the cirrhotic patients with overt diabetes is not due to the so called hepatogenous diabetes, but to essential diabetes with concomitant cir· rhosis. Intravenous xylitol tolerance test may be available for the differential diagnosis of hepatogenous diabetes from essential diabetes with concomitant cirrhosis, since the change in serum glucose level after the administration of xylitol was characteristic in each group. Further studies must be done to substantiate this possibility.