Tumor and non-tumor mediated hypoglycemia by pancreatic beta cells, a diagnostic challenge

Hipoglucemia tumoral dependiente y no dependiente de células β-pancreáticas, un reto diagnóstico

Hypoglycemia is a common medical emergency which is mostly secondary to the use of oral or injected hypoglycemic drugs indicated in patients with diabetes mellitus. However, it can present spontaneously and severely in relation to multiple clinical conditions, including neoplasms. When faced with hypoglycemia associated with paraneoplastic disorders, the pathophysiological mechanisms of hypoglycemia must be recognized and a timely and accurate diagnosis must be established in order to diminish complications inherent to this clinical syndrome. We herein present two patients with hypoglycemia refractory to initial medical management, sharing similar appearance with other pathologies. The first case corresponds to a patient with an insulinoma and the second to a patient with a hemangiopericytoma.

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