[Diabetic amyotrophy--a polygenetic syndrome (author's transl)].

Detailed clinical and biochemical investigations were done in 14 patients with the syndrome of diabetic amyotrophy. Three patients suffered from manifest insulin-dependent diabetes, five had only diminished glucose tolerance. Simultaneously, excretion of creatinine was reduced indicating reduction of healthy muscle mass. In these cases disturbance of glucose tolerance must be considered symptom and not cause of amyotrophy. Further investigations revealed neoplasia (n = 2), generalised amyloidosis (n = 3), polycythaemia vera (n = 1), chronic infectious disease (n = 3), and motor neuron degeneration (n = 3). The attribute "diabetic" must not bea considered representing a single cause in this connection. With treatment aimed at more than one factor, satisfactory results of therapy may be expected in the majority of cases.