High fasting serum insulin level due to autoantibody interference in insulin immunoassay discloses autoimmune insulin syndrome: a case report

摘要

Insulin-antibodies are a cause of misleading results in insulin immunoassays. They may also mediate deleterious blood glucose variations. A patient presented with overtiredness, recurrent episodes of sweating, dizziness and fainting fits. A fasting serum insulin assay performed on a Modular platform (Modular analytic E170, Roche Diagnostic, Meylan, France) showed a highly elevated value of 194.7 mIU/L, whereas on the same sample glucose and C-peptide levels were normal. Other immunometric insulin assays were performed, as well as antibodies anti-insulin radiobinding assay (RBA) and gel filtration chromatography (GFC). While complementary insulin assays yielded closer to normal fasting levels, the free insulin concentration assessed after PEG precipitation was 14.0 mIU/L and the RBA was positive. GFC revealed that most of the insulin was complexed with a 150 kDa molecule, corresponding to an immunoglobulin G (IgG). A high fasting serum insulin level in a patient with neuroglucopenic symptoms was related to a high insulin-antibody level, suggesting an insulin autoimmune syndrome.