The glomerular hyperfiltration of diabetes is not associated with elevated plasma levels of glucagon and growth hormone.

Plasma concentrations of glucagon, growth hormone and glucose were measured hourly during an ordinary treatment day in 11 Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetic patients with high glomerular filtration rate, 11 Type 1 diabetic patients with normal glomerular filtration rate matched for age, diabetes duration and sex, and five healthy control subjects, simultaneously with the measurement of the glomerular filtration rate using 51Cr EDTA clearance. Plasma glucagon profiles were not statistically distinguishable (p = 0.49) from control values in either group, although they were somewhat lower in the hyperfiltering group. Plasma growth hormone values were higher than control (p = 0.07) in both diabetic groups, but were not different between these two groups (p = 0.94). All indices of glycaemic control (glycosylated haemoglobin, urinary glucose excretion, and plasma glucose concentration) were higher in the hyperfiltering group, although no single index reached statistical significance. No correlations between concentrations of these substances and glomerular filtration rate were found. Elevated plasma concentrations of glucagon and growth hormone do not characterise those diabetic patients with high glomerular filtration rate.