The causes of death and postmortem characteristics of Pima Indians of the Gila River Indian Community are investigated so that findings in subjects with and without diabetes mellitus can be correlated with studies in living subjects. Medical records are reviewed for the determination of cause of death and for the occurrence of certain serious diseases or complications of diabetes. The purpose of the study is to relate the outcome and cause of death to events or risk factors measured in life among Pima Indian residents of the Gila River Indian Community, particularly in relation to diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and gallbladder disease. Post-mortem examinations are obtained whenever possible on members of the Gila River Indian Community to ascertain conditions present at the time of death and ascertain cause of death as precisely as possible. In addition, death certificates and all available medical records pertaining to the subjects are obtained and reviewed in a standardized way for evidence of the complications of diabetes, vascular disease, neoplasms and other conditions, which may have been recognized prior to death. The records of the occurrence of such conditions together with conditions recognized at autopsy, are used to determine the causes of death and incidence of complications associated with diabetes and other conditions identified initially during life by the longitudinal epidemiologic studies in the population. The pancreatic sections from autopsied Pimas were examined for peptide hormones and amyloid. Islet amyloid was found in 77% of the diabetic and 8% of nondiabetic subjects, suggesting that islet amyloid may reflect a primary beta cell defect contributing to diabetes, or may develop as a result of secondary beta cell dysfunction.
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