Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Clinical case seminar - Insufficient ketone body use is the cause of ketotic Hypoglycemia in one of a pair of homozygotic twins

Marcus, Claude ; Alken, Jenny ; Eriksson, Jens ; Blom, Leif LU and Gustafsson, Jan (2007) In Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 92(11). p.4080-4084
Abstract
Context: Childhood ketotic hypoglycemia ( KH) is a disease characterized by fasting hypoglycemia and increased levels of ketone bodies. The cause is unknown. Objective: The objective of the study was to study a pair of homozygotic twin boys, one of whom had severe KH from the age of 14 months, whereas the other boy was apparently healthy. Design and Results: At the age of 6 yr, the boys were thoroughly investigated. During a 24-h fasting tolerance test, the twin with KH showed hypoglycemia ( blood glucose 2.0 mmol/liter) after 18 h. Three h before the occurrence of hypoglycemia, he had had 10 times higher beta-hydroxybutyrate levels than his brother, who showed no signs of hypoglycemia. Their glucose production rates were normal and... (More)
Context: Childhood ketotic hypoglycemia ( KH) is a disease characterized by fasting hypoglycemia and increased levels of ketone bodies. The cause is unknown. Objective: The objective of the study was to study a pair of homozygotic twin boys, one of whom had severe KH from the age of 14 months, whereas the other boy was apparently healthy. Design and Results: At the age of 6 yr, the boys were thoroughly investigated. During a 24-h fasting tolerance test, the twin with KH showed hypoglycemia ( blood glucose 2.0 mmol/liter) after 18 h. Three h before the occurrence of hypoglycemia, he had had 10 times higher beta-hydroxybutyrate levels than his brother, who showed no signs of hypoglycemia. Their glucose production rates were normal and similar ( 23.3 and 21.7 mu mol/ kg body weight per minute in the healthy and KH twin, respectively) as well as their lipolysis rates ( 5.8 and 6.8 mu mol/ kg body weight per minute, respectively). During repeated 60-min infusions of beta-hydroxybutyrate, the plasma level of beta-hydroxybutyrate increased 5-10 times more in the twin with KH ( mean 1.1 mmol/liter in the healthy and 10.8 mmol/ liter in the KH twin), indicating a disturbed clearance or metabolism of beta-hydroxybutyrate. No mutations were found in genes involved in ketone body metabolism or transport. Conclusion: In the affected boy, KH seems to be the result of a reduced capacity to use ketone bodies, leading to increased peripheral metabolism of glucose that cannot be met by hepatic glucose production. Because the boys are homozygotic twins and only one of them is affected, the ketotic hypoglycemia is most likely caused by an altered imprinting of gene(s) involved in regulating metabolic pathways. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
volume
92
issue
11
pages
4080 - 4084
publisher
Oxford University Press
external identifiers
  • wos:000250763800002
  • scopus:35948996959
  • pmid:17684053
ISSN
1945-7197
DOI
10.1210/jc.2007-0661
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
5cfc868f-cd07-4431-96c8-b3890f7c0886 (old id 968848)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 16:37:18
date last changed
2022-01-28 20:55:59
@article{5cfc868f-cd07-4431-96c8-b3890f7c0886,
  abstract     = {{Context: Childhood ketotic hypoglycemia ( KH) is a disease characterized by fasting hypoglycemia and increased levels of ketone bodies. The cause is unknown. Objective: The objective of the study was to study a pair of homozygotic twin boys, one of whom had severe KH from the age of 14 months, whereas the other boy was apparently healthy. Design and Results: At the age of 6 yr, the boys were thoroughly investigated. During a 24-h fasting tolerance test, the twin with KH showed hypoglycemia ( blood glucose 2.0 mmol/liter) after 18 h. Three h before the occurrence of hypoglycemia, he had had 10 times higher beta-hydroxybutyrate levels than his brother, who showed no signs of hypoglycemia. Their glucose production rates were normal and similar ( 23.3 and 21.7 mu mol/ kg body weight per minute in the healthy and KH twin, respectively) as well as their lipolysis rates ( 5.8 and 6.8 mu mol/ kg body weight per minute, respectively). During repeated 60-min infusions of beta-hydroxybutyrate, the plasma level of beta-hydroxybutyrate increased 5-10 times more in the twin with KH ( mean 1.1 mmol/liter in the healthy and 10.8 mmol/ liter in the KH twin), indicating a disturbed clearance or metabolism of beta-hydroxybutyrate. No mutations were found in genes involved in ketone body metabolism or transport. Conclusion: In the affected boy, KH seems to be the result of a reduced capacity to use ketone bodies, leading to increased peripheral metabolism of glucose that cannot be met by hepatic glucose production. Because the boys are homozygotic twins and only one of them is affected, the ketotic hypoglycemia is most likely caused by an altered imprinting of gene(s) involved in regulating metabolic pathways.}},
  author       = {{Marcus, Claude and Alken, Jenny and Eriksson, Jens and Blom, Leif and Gustafsson, Jan}},
  issn         = {{1945-7197}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{11}},
  pages        = {{4080--4084}},
  publisher    = {{Oxford University Press}},
  series       = {{Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism}},
  title        = {{Clinical case seminar - Insufficient ketone body use is the cause of ketotic Hypoglycemia in one of a pair of homozygotic twins}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1210/jc.2007-0661}},
  doi          = {{10.1210/jc.2007-0661}},
  volume       = {{92}},
  year         = {{2007}},
}