Disopyramide-induced hypoglycemia: case report and review of the literature

Disopyramide is a group I antiarrhythmic drug which is mainly used for the treatment of ventricular and supraventricular rhythm disturbances. Commonest side effects result from disopyramide's anticholinergic activity. Other side effects such as hypoglycemia have been reported less frequently. We report one observation of disopyramide induced hypoglycemia, and a review of the literature is presented. Including our observation, 14 cases (9 men and 5 women, aged from 41 to 88) have so far been reported. Doses of disopyramide ranged from 200 to 1,200 mg per day, administered from one day to one year. Symptomatology was mainly neurologic (12 patients) and two patients were clinically asymptomatic. The outcome was favorable in all but the 2 patients who died with persistent hypoglycemia after a single dose of 250 mg in one patient and after 400 mg daily during 4 days in the other (without stopping the drug). Renal function was markedly impaired in 9 patients, two of these patients being on a long term dialysis therapy. Blood levels of disopyramide were measured in 7 patients and ranged from 1 to 11.4 ng/ml. In five patients it was in the normal range (1-4 ng/ml). Three patients were rechallenged for disopyramide: hypoglycemia occurred in all, without clinical symptoms in two of them. The main risk factors of disopyramide induced hypoglycemia are a preexisting chronic renal failure, advanced age, and malnutrition. In these patients normally non toxic disopyramide blood levels, as defined in normal subjects, seem to be inappropriately high. We suggest that in patients at risk, disopyramide blood levels should be maintained at the lower range of therapeutic level.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)