{"title":"Insulin autoimmune syndrome in a 3-year-old boy: the youngest to date in China and a narrow review.","authors":"Ming Cheng, Yuan Ding, Dongmei Wang, Chunxiu Gong","doi":"10.1186/s12887-025-05395-0","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Insulin autoimmune syndrome (IAS), characterized by endogenous hypoglycemia associated with insulin autoantibodies, is a rare cause of hypoglycemia in pediatric patients. Here, we report a case of the youngest patient with IAS in China, and summarize the clinical characteristics of the disease through a narrow review of pediatric cases.</p><p><strong>Case presentation: </strong>A 3-year-10-month-old Chinese boy presented with unconsciousness. Initially, he was misdiagnosed with hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia (HH) due to non-ketotic hypoglycemia. Whole exome sequencing (WES) was negative, and no pancreatic space-occupying lesions were identified. He continued to have intermittent episodes of symptomatic hypoglycemia. During an extended oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), his insulin to C-peptide molar ratio was greater than 1, and anti-insulin antibodies (IAAs) measurements were as high as 54.38 COI (normal range 0-1 COI). High-resolution human leukocyte antigen (HLA) test showed a DRB1*08:03/*12:02 genotype. He was eventually diagnosed with IAS. Hypoglycemic episodes were not observed as long as the patient adhered to the low and frequent carbohydrate diet. Six months later, the patient's anti-insulin antibody had decreased to 10.17 COI, and mildly symptomatic hypoglycemia occasionally occurred in the case of noncompliance with the diet. Based on 11 studies from a literature review and our own case, a total of 12 pediatric patients were analyzed. Most of these patients presented with unconsciousness initially and their episodes of hypoglycemia do not follow a definitive pattern. Adjustments in diet serve as an effective intervention, and spontaneous remission is relatively common.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>When differentiating the causes of HH in pediatric patients, IAS should not be overlooked. Elevated levels of IAAs and an inappropriate insulin to C-peptide molar ratio during an extended OGTT are critical indicators.</p><p><strong>Clinical trial number: </strong>Not applicable.</p>","PeriodicalId":9144,"journal":{"name":"BMC Pediatrics","volume":"25 1","pages":"94"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0000,"publicationDate":"2025-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11796177/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"BMC Pediatrics","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-025-05395-0","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"PEDIATRICS","Score":null,"Total":0}
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Abstract
Background: Insulin autoimmune syndrome (IAS), characterized by endogenous hypoglycemia associated with insulin autoantibodies, is a rare cause of hypoglycemia in pediatric patients. Here, we report a case of the youngest patient with IAS in China, and summarize the clinical characteristics of the disease through a narrow review of pediatric cases.
Case presentation: A 3-year-10-month-old Chinese boy presented with unconsciousness. Initially, he was misdiagnosed with hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia (HH) due to non-ketotic hypoglycemia. Whole exome sequencing (WES) was negative, and no pancreatic space-occupying lesions were identified. He continued to have intermittent episodes of symptomatic hypoglycemia. During an extended oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), his insulin to C-peptide molar ratio was greater than 1, and anti-insulin antibodies (IAAs) measurements were as high as 54.38 COI (normal range 0-1 COI). High-resolution human leukocyte antigen (HLA) test showed a DRB1*08:03/*12:02 genotype. He was eventually diagnosed with IAS. Hypoglycemic episodes were not observed as long as the patient adhered to the low and frequent carbohydrate diet. Six months later, the patient's anti-insulin antibody had decreased to 10.17 COI, and mildly symptomatic hypoglycemia occasionally occurred in the case of noncompliance with the diet. Based on 11 studies from a literature review and our own case, a total of 12 pediatric patients were analyzed. Most of these patients presented with unconsciousness initially and their episodes of hypoglycemia do not follow a definitive pattern. Adjustments in diet serve as an effective intervention, and spontaneous remission is relatively common.
Conclusion: When differentiating the causes of HH in pediatric patients, IAS should not be overlooked. Elevated levels of IAAs and an inappropriate insulin to C-peptide molar ratio during an extended OGTT are critical indicators.
期刊介绍：
BMC Pediatrics is an open access journal publishing peer-reviewed research articles in all aspects of health care in neonates, children and adolescents, as well as related molecular genetics, pathophysiology, and epidemiology.
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