Insulin Autoimmune Syndrome (Hirata Disease) After Treatment With Alpha-Lipoic Acid: A Case Report

We present the case of a 79-year-old White woman with recurrent spontaneous hypoglycemia characterized by low plasma glucose, inappropriately elevated plasma C-peptide and insulin levels, and the presence of antibodies against endogenous insulin. Imaging for insulinoma was negative. The diagnosis of...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Konstantinos Kitsios, Stefanos Tsotoulidis, Areti Triantafyllou, Evangelia Karastergiou, Christina-Maria Trakatelli, Maria Sarigianni, Vasileios Kotsis
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: American College of Physicians 2024-07-01
Series:Annals of Internal Medicine: Clinical Cases
Online Access:https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/aimcc.2023.1485
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Summary:We present the case of a 79-year-old White woman with recurrent spontaneous hypoglycemia characterized by low plasma glucose, inappropriately elevated plasma C-peptide and insulin levels, and the presence of antibodies against endogenous insulin. Imaging for insulinoma was negative. The diagnosis of insulin autoimmune syndrome, or Hirata disease, was established. Continuous glucose monitoring data were consistent with the pathophysiology of insulin autoimmune syndrome. It was associated with the patient's previous treatment with an oral supplement containing alpha-lipoic acid. Frequent, small, low carbohydrate–content meals resulted in the elimination of hypoglycemic events.
ISSN:2767-7664