Chromosomal studies in diabetic patients treated with chlorpropamide.

Chromosome studies were carried out on the peripheral blood of nine diabetic patients treated with chlorpropamide, on nine healthy controls and on nine untreated diabetic controls. Data from each treated individual were compared with the mean of the pooled data from the two control groups. There was a statistically significant increase in the individual numbers of sister chromatid exchanges per metaphase in each of the patients treated with the drug compared with the mean of the pooled control values. There was no significant increase in the numbers of structural chromosomal aberrations in the treated patients compared with the controls.