Sprague, Randall G.

In 12 children with hyperadrenocorticism caused by tumor of the adrenal cortex the most common clinical picture was that of a mixture of adrenogenital and Cushing's syndromes. All tumors were surgically removed; adrenal steroids were used in the preparation of 11 patients for operation. One patient died with extensive metastasis 5 months after operation, while 11 were alive and well 18 months to 29 years after operation. Data from the 12 cases in this series and from those in the literature suggest that the likelihood of metastasis may be correlated with the relation of tumor weight to body weight.

The ability of oral antibiotic treatment to control diabetic diarrhea was documented by a double-blind study involving a patient with this condition. When the patient was given Mysteclin-F, the diarrhea subsided promptly, only to recur when a placebo was substituted,. The erratic behavior of diabetic diarrhea is indicated, however, by the fact that a remission eventually occurred, and no further treatment was required. Although not all patients with diabetic diarrhea respond to antibiotic treatment, its trial merits consideration forthose patients who are refractory to the simpler forms of treatment.

Disturbances of gastrointestinal function have frequently been observed in association with diabetes mellitus. The disorders which have been reported include gastric atony and dilatation, postprandial abdominal cramping, severe constipation, and intractable diarrhea characterized by watery stools, nocturnal exacerbations and fecal incontinence. These disturbances have been attributed by many investigators to alterations in gastrointestinal motility secondary to visceral diabetic neuropathy. The purpose of the present report is to call attention to a group of patients with diabetes mellitus and neuropathy who exhibited diarrhea and steatorrhea which apparently could not be attributed to external pancreatic insufficiency.