Alimentary Hyperglycemia and Glycosuria. 



153 



85 (1149) 



Studies in alimentary hyperglycemia and glycosuria. 



By C. V. Bailey. 



[From the Department of Medicine, New York Post-Gr actuate 

 Medical School and Hospital, Dr. Edward Quintard, 

 Director.] 



Using a modification of the Lewis and Benedict method 1 for 

 the estimation of sugar in the blood the normal value seems to be 

 between 0.09 and 0.12 per cent. Blood was examined in the 

 morning before the patients had anything to eat or drink, the urine 

 from a simultaneous half-hour period being tested for sugar. 



Applying the above procedure it was found that in uncom- 

 plicated nephritis the blood sugar ranged from 0.12 per cent, in 

 mild cases to 0.26 per cent, in severe cases with marked nitrogen 

 retention. Cases of glycosuria upon admission were excreting 

 anywhere from a mere trace to 6 or 7 per cent, sugar in the 24-hour 

 specimen of urine. These cases seemed to fall into two distinct 

 classes; (1) those having a normal or nearly normal morning blood 

 sugar with urine sugar free by ordinary tests; (2) those having a 

 high morning blood sugar (0.3 per cent, or over) and a compara- 

 tively small amount of sugar in the urine. In the former class 

 were found the cases of "mild diabetes" and cases of hyperthy- 

 roidism; the latter class included cases with marked constitutional 

 symptoms and definite signs of nephritis — "severe diabetes." 



Tests of alimentary hyperglycemia and glycosuria were begun 

 in the morning on an empty stomach. A specimen of blood and a 

 half-hour specimen of urine were collected preceding the adminis- 

 tration of a small quantity of glucose (30 to 90 grams in 400 c.c. 

 weak tea). Following this the blood was tested at 15-minute 

 intervals for the first i]/2 hours and at Y2 hour intervals for the 

 succeeding 4^ hours. Half-hour specimens of urine were col- 

 lected. The percentage of sugar was determined in the whole 

 blood, plasma, unwashed corpuscles and urine. The units hemo- 

 globin, percentage of corpuscles to whole blood and urinary se- 



1 Myers. V. C, and Bailey, C. V., J. Biol. Client., 1916. XXIV, 147. 



