[Anaphylactic reaction to human insulin. Successful desensitization].

A 48-year-old woman with diabetes mellitus (type IIb) had to be treated with insulin because of poor blood-sugar control. Infiltrates at the sight of injection occurred with two different porcine insulin preparations, necessitating a switch to human insulin. After the third injection of the latter an anaphylactic reaction developed within minutes. During a pregnancy in 1968 the patient had briefly received bovine insulin. Tests now revealed an immediate-type allergy against all three available species insulins, which was successfully treated by hyposensitisation.