A 36-year-old man presenting with altered mental status and hypoglycaemia
Authors: Gabriel Atanasio, Maria Ana Canelas, Joana Mascarenhas
Background: Hypoglycaemia is more frequent among diabetic patients as a result of hypoglycaemic lowering therapies, making the diagnosis and management straightforward. However, when documented in nondiabetic people, it becomes a diagnostic problem. Despite their seemingly benign behaviour, the aetiology and posterior treatment is of crucial importance, since recurrences are frequent and prolonged hypoglycaemia can cause serious brain lesions, making mortality higher among nondiabetic patients. Case Presentation: A 36-year-old man was admitted to our hospital due to an episode of altered mental status with documented hypoglycaemia. The patient had no medical conditions known and was only on zonidamide. He denied drinking alcoholic beverages and had no other symptoms. Physical examination, on the emergency department, as well as blood test was normal, and he was admitted to study the cause of hypoglycaemia. After the 72-hour fast test, endogenous hyperinsulinism was diagnosed and the team initiated the investigation of a possible insulinoma, which was later found to be in pancreatic location. The patient was referred for surgical resection of the insulinoma and was discharged home 7 days after the surgery. He recovered well without further symptoms of hypoglycaemia. Conclusion: The authors want to highlight the rarity of hypoglycaemia among non-diabetic patients emphasising endogenous hyperinsulinism as an unusual cause of it, infrequently as a result of an insulinoma. Despite its rarity, once the correct treatment is chosen the prognosis is good and the overall survival rate does not differ from that expected in the general.
Keywords: Spontaneous hypoglycaemia, endogenous hyperinsulinism, Insulinoma
Authors
Correspondence to:
Gabriel AtanĂ¡sio, Physician at the Internal Medicine Department of Centro Hospitalar Vila Nova de Gaia/Espinho R Conceicao Fernandes, Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal gabrielatanasio@hotmail.com
Publication history:
Received 18 Dec 2019
Revised 09 Mar 2020
Accepted 14 Apr 2020
Published online 26 Apr 2020
Published in print 24 May 2020
Atanasio G, Canelas MA, Mascarenhas J. A 36-year-old man presenting with altered mental status and hypoglycaemia. EJMCR. 2020; 4(4): 134-137. doi:
10.24911/ejmcr/173-1576675738
Atanasio G, Canelas MA, Mascarenhas J. A 36-year-old man presenting with altered mental status and hypoglycaemia. https://www.ejmcr.com/?mno=78502 [Access: April 18, 2024]. doi:
10.24911/ejmcr/173-1576675738
Atanasio G, Canelas MA, Mascarenhas J. A 36-year-old man presenting with altered mental status and hypoglycaemia. EJMCR. 2020; 4(4): 134-137. doi:
10.24911/ejmcr/173-1576675738
Atanasio G, Canelas MA, Mascarenhas J. A 36-year-old man presenting with altered mental status and hypoglycaemia. EJMCR. (2020), [cited April 18, 2024]; 4(4): 134-137. doi:
10.24911/ejmcr/173-1576675738
Atanasio, G., Canelas, . M. A. & Mascarenhas, . J. (2020) A 36-year-old man presenting with altered mental status and hypoglycaemia. EJMCR, 4 (4), 134-137. doi:
10.24911/ejmcr/173-1576675738
Atanasio, Gabriel, Maria Ana Canelas, and Joana Mascarenhas. 2020. A 36-year-old man presenting with altered mental status and hypoglycaemia. European Journal of Medical Case Reports, 4 (4), 134-137. doi:
10.24911/ejmcr/173-1576675738
Atanasio, Gabriel, Maria Ana Canelas, and Joana Mascarenhas. "A 36-year-old man presenting with altered mental status and hypoglycaemia." European Journal of Medical Case Reports 4 (2020), 134-137. doi:
10.24911/ejmcr/173-1576675738
Atanasio, Gabriel, Maria Ana Canelas, and Joana Mascarenhas. "A 36-year-old man presenting with altered mental status and hypoglycaemia." European Journal of Medical Case Reports 4.4 (2020), 134-137. Print. doi:
10.24911/ejmcr/173-1576675738
Atanasio, G., Canelas, . M. A. & Mascarenhas, . J. (2020) A 36-year-old man presenting with altered mental status and hypoglycaemia. European Journal of Medical Case Reports, 4 (4), 134-137. doi:
10.24911/ejmcr/173-1576675738