The American journal of medicine
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Measurement of glycosylated hemoglobins in diabetic patients has been available to clinicians for about five years. Such measurements correlate with mean serum glucose determinations over time; therefore, they have stimulated a number of studies to determine (1) if these assays are useful in diagnosing diabetes, (2) the clinical utility of determinations of minor hemoglobins in monitoring diabetic control, and (3) the relationship of glucose "control" (as indicated by concentrations of glycosylated hemoglobins) to abnormalities or "sequelae" of the diabetic state. High concentrations of glycosylated hemoglobins are highly specific for diabetes, and positive findings provide a useful diagnostic test. ⋯ These abnormalities include abnormalities of the erythrocyte, leukocyte, platelet, and coagulation cascade and hormonal profiles in juvenile-onset diabetes and diabetes in pregnancy. In addition, correlation have been reported between certain risk factors or abnormalities, associated with vascular disease and concentrations of minor hemoglobins, including lipid profiles microvascular disease as reflected by retinal changes and quadriceps capillary basement membrane thickening, and macrovascular disease as reflected by pulse volume recordings. These studies have led to a reevaluation of the role of glucose "control" in contributing to diabetic sequelae, and, thus, have stimulated new approaches to the management of diabetes.
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The clinical course of 40 patients with significant quantities of mixed cryoglobulins, but without lymphoproliferative, collagen-vascular or chronic infectious diseases, is presented. These cases comprise 51.3 percent of all mixed and 31.7 percent of all types of cryoglobulins evaluated by us over the period 1960--1978. A characteristic clinical syndrome, consisting of recurrent palpable purpura (100 percent), polyarthralgias (72.5 percent) and renal disease (55 percent), was seen. ⋯ Follow-up for periods up to 21 years from onset of symptoms revealed that renal involvement has a deleterious effect on prognosis. Postmorten examinations of nine patients demonstrated widespread vasculitis in addition to renal involvement. Preterminal infection was found in eight.