Insulin receptor autoantibody-induced pancreatic islet beta (B) cell hyperplasia

A patient with progressive systemic sclerosis (scleroderma) and anti-insulin receptor autoantibody-induced diabetes mellitus was found to have pancreatic islet beta (B) cell hyperplasia by computerized morphometry and immunohistochemistry. Unlike most previously reported cases of islet cell hyperplasia, where the islet cell hyperactivity produced disturbed glucose metabolism (hypoglycemia, this case illustrates compensatory islet cell hyperplasia in response to a perturbation in glucose metabolism by insulin-receptor blockade with resultant hyperglycemia.