Hepatic Subcapsular Steatosis as a Complication Associated with Intraperitoneal Insulin Treatment in Diabetic Peritoneal Dialysis Patients

Objectives

The aim of this study was to evaluate hepatic subcapsular steatosis (HSS) and its association with clinical parameters in nondiabetic continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients and in diabetic CAPD patients receiving intraperitoneal (IP) or subcutaneous (SC) insulin.

Design

Cross-sectional study.

Setting

A tertiary-care university hospital.

Patients

28 CAPD patients (17 males and 11 females; mean age 53.5 ± 14 years; mean CAPD duration 22.8 ± 9 months) were included in the study. 14 patients had type II diabetes mellitus and 14 were nondiabetics. In the diabetic group, 8 patients were receiving IP insulin and 6 were receiving SC insulin.

Outcome Measures

HSS was diagnosed on computed tomography without contrast administration. Other data collected were body mass index (BMI), weekly Kt/V, peritoneal equilibration test (PET) results, daily insulin dosage, duration of diabetes mellitus, duration of insulin treatment, dialysate glucose load, and serum findings for alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, albumin, and lipid profiles.

Results

HSS was detected in 5 of the 8 diabetics who were receiving IP insulin. None of the diabetics receiving SC insulin and none of the nondiabetic patients exhibited HSS. Daily insulin dosage [108 (95 – 108.5) vs 54 (36 – 72) U/day, p = 0.02], BMI [31 (30.5 – 36) vs 26.6 (26 – 30) kg/m2, p = 0.02], serum triglyceride level [194 (184 – 505) vs 69 (61 – 82) mg/dL, p = 0.04], and PET creatinine levels [D/P2 creat: 0.67 (0.54 – 0.74) vs 0.50 (0.50 – 0.56), p = 0.05; D/P4 creat: 0.75 (0.64 – 0.86) vs 0.60 (0.59 – 0.62), p = 0.02] were higher in diabetic patients receiving IP insulin who had HSS than in those who did not have HSS. PET glucose levels [D0/D2 glu: 0.40 (0.37 – 0.45) vs 0.50 (0.48 – 0.51), p = 0.03; D0/D4 glu: 0.36 (0.26 – 0.38) vs 0.44 (0.38 – 0.48), p = 0.04] were lower in diabetic patients receiving IP insulin who had HSS than in those who did not have HSS.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that IP insulin plays a more important role in the pathogenesis of HSS than glucose levels in diabetic CAPD patients. They also indicate that HSS is associated with higher daily insulin requirement, obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, and high peritoneal transport rate in diabetic CAPD patients receiving IP insulin.

Current status and future prospects of parenteral insulin regimens, strategies and delivery systems for diabetes treatment

A strong relationship between long term metabolic control and low frequency of chronic diabetes complications was shown in the Diabetes Control Complication Trial (DCCT). However, the subcutaneous intensive insulin therapy required to achieve the glycemic goals defined by the DCCT led to an unacceptable frequency of severe hypoglycemia and a significant weight gain. This limits the benefits of this therapy and excludes groups of patients such as young children, the elderly or hypoglycemia prone patients. The intensive therapy and self blood glucose monitoring (SMBG) necessary to limit hypoglycemia represent a heavy burden for the patients and their family. Improvements in parenteral insulin therapy are possible by either modifying subcutaneous insulin characteristics (analogs, adjunction of peptides such as amylin, GLP1, IGF1), or by developing better routes of administration and making SMBG easier, which is a key to intensive insulin therapy success. The ultimate goal remains the development of an automated, glucose controlled device.