Laboratory Medicine Online  2013;3(1):56-59

doi:10.3343/lmo.2013.3.1.56

Unusually Elevated Serum Insulin Level in a Diabetic Patient during Recombinant Insulin Therapy.

Serim KIM 1 ; Yeo Min YUN ; Mina HUR ; Hee Won MOON

Affiliations

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Keywords

Insulin; Insulin antibodies; Insulin immunoassay; Insulin analogues; Cross-reactivity

Country

Republic of Korea

Language

Korean

Abstract

Herein, we report a case of unusually elevated serum insulin level as a result of increased anti-insulin antibody (IA)-bound insulin after continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion therapy. Detecting free insulin (unbound IAs) levels after polyethylene glycol pre-treatment could be useful to assess functional insulin levels in diabetic patients receiving insulin therapy. The E170 insulin assay can estimate total insulin (bound IAs and free insulin) levels, but it does not measure the levels of exogenous insulin analogues.