HYPERINSULINISM AND CEREBRAL CHANGES

Abstract

In insulin hypoglycemia, or hyperinsulinism, whether spontaneous or induced, the manner in which the nervous system is affected is of primary interest. This has been investigated (1) in "insulin shock" of patients suffering from diabetes, (2) in spontaneous hypoglycemia due to neoplasm or to hypertrophy or functional oversecretion of the islands of Langerhans and (3) under experimental conditions. We wish to report a case of spontaneous hypoglycemia due to an adenoma of the islands of Langerhans. On the basis of our study of this case and a survey of the literature, an attempt will be made to correlate the clinical, laboratory and anatomic data on this disorder from the pathogenic standpoint. REPORT OF CASE History. —A. P., a married woman aged 30, was admitted to the Ypsilanti State Hospital on March 16, 1936. The family history and the patient's past history were essentially unimportant. She had been in good health