Safety and tolerability of diazoxide in Japanese patients with hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia
Diazoxide is a non-diuretic benzothiadiazine derivative, one of a group of substances introduced into clinical practice in the 1950s for the treatment of hypertension. Fajans reported the use of diazoxide for the treatment of insulinoma in 1979. Although patients with hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia worldwide have been treated with diazoxide for more than 30 years, there are no recent reports about the adverse effects of this drug in Asian patients, including Japanese patients. Herein, we report the results of our retrospective clinical record review of 6 Japanese patients (3 females and 3 males, ranging in age from 58 to 91 years) with hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia and inoperable insulinoma treated with diazoxide. Diazoxide improved control of hypoglycemic symptoms and maintained normoglycemia in 5 of the 6 patients, and was ineffective in one patient. Surprisingly, although all 6 patients received diazoxide according to the treatment strategy recommended in Western patients, 5 of the 6 patients developed edema and two developed congestive heart failure. Thus, when starting treatment with diazoxide in Japanese patients, the symptoms and signs of fluid retention should be evaluated carefully. Also, appropriate protocols for treatment with diazoxide should be evaluated by means of clinical trials in Japanese patients with hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia.