Insulin requirements in lipodystrophic diabetes

A ten-fold increase in daily insulin requirements during the administration of total parenteral nutrition (TPN) is described in a patient with congenital generalized lipodystrophy, insulin-requiring diabetes mellitus, and acanthosis nigricans during an episode of acute pancreatitis secondary to hypertriglyceridaemia. After a period of 13 days on TPN, insulin requirements increased dramatically to an average of 1428 units per day for a period of 12 days, to achieve a mean blood glucose level of 10.9 mmol l-1. When the patient resumed feeding and the TPN was discontinued, the average daily insulin requirement was 104 units with a mean 24 h blood glucose of 11.8 mmol l-1. Parenteral administration of energy substrates in a rare case of diabetes mellitus and congenital lipodystrophy complicated by acute pancreatitis resulted in a severe insulin insensitive state due to the combination of the hypermetabolism conferred by the pancreatitis plus transient impairments of the glucose disposal mechanism by the energy substrates provided.