Improvements in skin reactions to insulin, produced by a highly purified preparation.

A group of 14 patients with skin reactions to insulin have been treated with highly purified insulin over a period of 5--14 months while continuing to inject into the abnormal areas. Fat atrophy improved in all cases, coincident with a reduction in insulin requirement and insulin binding capacity. The response of patients with fat hypertrophy was less predictable, but there was an improvement in 3 out of 6 cases. Measurements of insulin binding capacity of the plasma suggested that fat atrophy and hypertrophy are immunologically distinct and some explanations for this are discussed. It is concluded that highly purified insulin benefits some patients with skin reactions to insulin.