J.Jpn. Surg. Soc.. 54(4): 310-322, 1953

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Original article

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PURULENT SKIN DISEASE AND SUGAR METABOLISM

In the blood and the exsudates of patients with purulent skin disease, such as furuncles and carbuncles, we noted an elevation in the sugar content which we did not note in purulent inflammation other than that of the skin. We believe this elevation is due to a special faator found only in the exsudates from the infiltrated skin tissue. In our experiment we observed that sugar added in a certain concentration to bacterial media changes their phagocytic action. On the other hand an increase in acetone decreased phagocytic power. It is also known experimentally that bacterial toxin in large amounts have deleterious effect on the sugar metabolisum by damaging the liver. From these facts we conclude that elevation of blood sugar in cases with purulent skin desease is a favorable response on the patient and the exacerbation seen in diabetes mellitus has something to do with acetone bodies. hat the relationship between purulent skin disease and diabetes mellitus is a vicious ring, Tis the common opinion held by many observors of this day. We wish to explain this relationship in the following way.
i) (in normal case)
Inflammation of the skin→Action of bacterial toxin on the liver→ Increase of the blood sugar→ Reinforcements of phagocytic power→ Healing
ii) (in diabetes mellitus)
Inflammation of the skin→ Action of bacterial toxin on the liver→ Disorder of sugar metabolism → Exacerbations in diabetes mellitus and the formation of acetone bodies→ Reduction in resistance against inflammation→ Spread of inflammation.
(author's abstract)

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