Abstract
Activities of erythrocyte aldose reductase were compared in 34 normal subjects, 45 diabetic patients, and nine young men following immersion in water at 25, 39, and 42° C. Mean basal enzyme activity was 1.11 (SEM 0.12) U/g Hb and 2.07 (SEM 0.14) U/g Hb in normal controls and diabetic patients, respectively (P<0.0001). Activities of the enzyme showed a good correlation with hemaglobin A1 (HbA1) concentrations (P<0.01) but not with fasting plasma glucose concentrations. After immersion at 42° C for 10 min, enzyme activity was increased by 37.6% (P<0.01); however, the activity decreased by 52.2% (P<0.005) after immersion for 10 min at 39° C and by 47.0% (P<0.05) at 25° C. These changes suggest that heat stress might aggravate diabetic complications, and body exposure to hot environmental conditions is not recommended for diabetic patients.
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Ohtsuka, Y., Yabunaka, N., Watanabe, I. et al. Thermal stress and diabetic complications. Int J Biometeorol 38, 57–59 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01270659
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01270659