HEPATOGENIC HYPOGLYCEMIA ASSOCIATED WITH PRIMARY LIVER CELL CARCINOMA

Abstract
Deficient liver function has been assumed in certain cases of spontaneous hypoglycemia, but no proved examples of hepatic origin comparable with those apparently due to hyperinsulinism have been reported. The liver appears to be able to maintain an adequate blood sugar level in spite of widespread injury. Although complete removal is followed experimentally by a progressive fall in blood sugar, no marked change in carbohydrate metabolism has been observed after partial removal. The following case of hypoglycemia, apparently of hepatogenic type, is, therefore, of interest. REPORT OF CASE N. W., a colored man, a native of Honduras, aged 30, was admitted to the hospital for an exploratory laparotomy on July 6, 1928. He had been in good health prior to January, 1928, when he began to lose weight. In May, weakness was apparent; in June, he was seized with intense epigastric pain after eating. The pain decreased after an hour