Diabetes mellitus. I: Routine plain abdominal radiography.

The plain abdominal radiographs of 43 consecutive diabetic patients were studied. Disordered bowel motility which was unrelated to the severity of the diabetes mellitus occurred in 76.7% while artheriosclerosis occurred in 65%. Only 7% (3 patients) had pancreatic calcification; of these, one was a complication of urinary schistosomiasis (Schistosoma haematobium). All the patients with pancreatic calcification were above 45 years of age and had had diabetes mellitus for more than 7 years. This study shows that pancreatic calcification is uncommon among Nigerian diabetics, so plain abdominal radiography should be limited to patients who are above 45 years and who have had the illness for more than 7 years.