Complete laboratory diagnosis of Insulin Autoimmune Syndrome

The definition of Insulin autoimmune syndrome includes the presence of high levels of blood insulin and insulin autoantibodies. We encountered a 45-years-old white man with a high insulin serum value that do not fit with the C-peptide result. To discard or to confirm an analytical interference and d...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Raquel Galván, Patricia Fernández-Riejos, Pilar María Sánchez Martínez, Carmen Rodríguez-Chacón, Catalina Sánchez Mora, Antonio León-Justel
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2023-08-01
Series:Practical Laboratory Medicine
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352551723000148
Description
Summary:The definition of Insulin autoimmune syndrome includes the presence of high levels of blood insulin and insulin autoantibodies. We encountered a 45-years-old white man with a high insulin serum value that do not fit with the C-peptide result. To discard or to confirm an analytical interference and diagnose a possible Insulin Autoimmune Syndrome we performed the following investigations: dilution linearity test, heterophilic antibody blocking, polyethylene glycol precipitation, measurements with alternative assays, and gel filtration chromatography by size exclusion. The latter technique confirmed that most of the insulin was complexed with a 150-kDa protein, corresponding to immunoglobulin G, identified as insulin autoantibodies. These antibodies were responsible for hypoglycemia attacks in the patient, who had a previous autoimmune disease. This case highlights the importance of carefully analyzing the results and ruling out possible interferences, as well as considering all kinds of pathologies, even if they are infrequent.
ISSN:2352-5517