[Association between diabetic ketoacidosis and acromegaly]

Diabetes mellitus occurs in nearly 10% of patients with acromegaly and is secondary to insulin resistance caused by high levels of growth hormone. Diabetes ketoacidosis has been described as a rare complication of acromegaly, resulting from a relative insulin deficiency caused by growth hormone excess. We described the case of a 38 year-old man who presented to the emergency room with a 6-week history of polydipsia, polyuria, polyphagia and weight loss. He also had nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain from two days before admission. His plasma glucose level was 880 mg/dl, plasma osmolarity 368 mOsm/l, arterial pH 7.06 and serum bicarbonate 8.6 mEq/l. At the clinical examination, he had features of acromegaly. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a pituitary macro adenoma and growth hormone dosages were abnormally high. After tumor removal, plasma glucose levels became normal. This case shows the rare association between diabetic ketoacidosis and acromegaly. Surgery, in this case, was the definite modality of treatment.