[A case of type 1 diabetes mellitus in an elderly patient with a history of idiopathic portal hypertension].

The patient is a 71-year-old woman who underwent splenectomy after the diagnosis of idiopathic portal hypertension (IPH) at the age of 51 years. Thirst and polyuria occurred in December 1995. In April 1996, she was hospitalized for assessment because of elevation of her blood glucose and HbA1c levels to 535 mg/dl and 14.9%, respectively. The GAD antibody level was high (256 units/ml) and tests for ICA and anti-TPO antibody were positive. Since her HLA type was A 24, B 13, B 46, CW 1, CW 3, DRB 1*[0901/0901], DQB 1*[0303/0303], and DPB 1*[0201/0201], this patient was regarded as being susceptible to type 1 diabetes mellitus. There was no evidence of portal hypertension at the time of consultation. Although there was a considerable difference in the time of onset between IPH and type I diabetes mellitus, we reported this patient as a valuable case for investigating the complications of autoimmune disease.