Coexisting Diabetes Mellitus and Addison's Disease

THE COEXISTENCE of diabetes mellitus and Addison's disease is a rarity. In a review of the literature and from personal communication, we have found reports of only 45 cases (Table 1). The earliest case, reported in 1866,1was thought to be one of diabetes alone until postmortem examination revealed the presence of bilateral adrenal tuberculosis. In this case, as well as in the cases reported by West,2Rabé,3Montgomery,4Umber,7and Brookfield and Corbett,14reasonable doubt exists as to the presence of Addison's disease in a clinical sense. Since 1926, instances of coexistence of diabetes and Addison's disease have been recognized with increasing frequency. In this paper, we report one additional patient and present further information regarding another (Case 43 in Table 1), previously described briefly by Thorn and co-workers.42Case 1 is believed to be the youngest patient in whom the presence of the two conditions has been recognized.