Abdominal lipohypertrophy caused by injections of growth hormone: a case report

A Child with Local Lipohypertrophy following Recombinant Human Growth Hormone Administration

Local lipohypertrophy due to recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) administration is a rare phenomenon. Here, we report a case of an 11-year-old girl who presented with a paraumbilical swelling, approximately one year after the start of rhGH treatment for short stature due to the presumed diagnosis of partial growth hormone insensitivity. Ultrasound imaging revealed an asymmetric distribution of subcutaneous fat tissue at the rhGH administration site, indicating local lipohypertrophy. After sparing her routine injection site and alternating other sites, the swelling disappeared within 6 months. Although the precise cause of local lipohypertrophy resulting from rhGH administration is still unclear, it might be related to the presumed diagnosis of partial growth hormone insensitivity.

Improvement of Insulin Injection Technique: Examination of Current Issues and Recommendations

PURPOSE

Correct insulin injection technique is a crucial aspect of diabetes management. The purpose of this article is (1) to outline the medical literature, including patient-based studies and surveys, surrounding the type of issues and problems that patients encounter with injectable insulin therapy and the degree to which correct insulin technique is being applied and (2) to review the latest recommendations for insulin injection technique and discuss the key aspects that diabetes educators and other health care professionals should be communicating to their patients to ensure that injection technique is optimized.

CONCLUSIONS

Examination of the literature and multiple patient surveys demonstrates that patients continue to have many issues with insulin injection technique, highlighting the pressing need for effective patient education. In addition, many patients are not using insulin pen devices correctly. Widespread lack of injection site rotation and reuse of needles have resulted in high rates of lipohypertrophy. Lipohypertrophy has in turn been associated with significantly increased levels of unexplained hypoglycemia and glycemic variability and significantly increased insulin costs. By providing clear, evidence-based consensus recommendations, initiatives such as the Forum for Injection Technique are helping to address these issues but will be successful only if concerted efforts in patient education and reeducation are made to ensure that these recommendations are implemented consistently. This should involve all stakeholders in insulin therapy-particularly diabetes educators, who are at the forefront of patient education.

Liraglutide in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus: clinical utility and patient perspectives

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a progressive disease associated with significant morbidity and mortality. There is good evidence that intensive glycemic control reduces the development and progression of complications in patients with diabetes. In order to achieve glycemic targets, patients often require a combination of oral therapy and/or insulin in addition to lifestyle modification. Unfortunately many currently available therapies for T2DM are associated with weight gain and hypoglycemia resulting in poor compliance and subsequent worsening glycemic control. Glucagon like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is an incretin hormone secreted from the small intestine that lowers fasting and postprandial glucose through multiple mechanisms including glucose-dependent insulin secretion, reduction of glucagon secretion, delaying gastric emptying and increased satiety. Liraglutide is a long acting GLP-1 mimetic that is administered once a day by subcutaneous injection and is now licensed for the treatment of T2DM. Phase 3 clinical trials have demonstrated beneficial effects on glycemic control and weight with liraglutide therapy. Within this article, we provide an overview of pharmacology, efficacy, safety and patient experience on liraglutide in the management of T2DM.

Safety and adverse effects associated with GLP-1 analogues

The incretin mimetics are an emerging class of agents for the treatment of diabetes. So far, exenatide is licensed for use in the US and also became available in the UK in May 2007. Within development and Phase III trials, liraglutide may also be made available within the next 2 years. These agents enhance glucose-dependent insulin secretion and exhibit other antihyperglycaemic actions, which are of particular benefit to overweight patients with Type 2 diabetes. This article reviews the profile of adverse effects for these agents in relation to their current (exenatide) and anticipated (liraglutide) role in the management of Type 2 diabetes.

A randomized, open-label, crossover study examiningthe effect of injection site on bioavailability of exenatide (synthetic exendin-4)

BACKGROUND

Exenatide (synthetic exendin-4;AC2993) is a 39-amino acid peptide in the new class of antidiabetic agents known as incretin mimetics. In clinical trials, exenatide exhibited glucoregulatory effects (glucose-dependent stimulation of insulin secretion, suppression of inappropriately elevated glucagon secretion, slowing of gastric emptying) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM).

OBJECTIVE

The goal of this study was to determine the relative bioavailability of exenatide injected subcutaneously into the abdomen, arm, or thigh.

METHODS

Patients with type 2 DM were randomized in an open-label, crossover study to assess relative bioavailability of exenatide (10 microg) injected into the arm and thigh versus injection into the abdomen. Serial plasma exenatide concentrations were measured for 10 hours after injection. A sample size of >24 patients provided approximately 80% power to ensure that 90% CIs were within the 80% to 125% interval for the ratios (geometric least squares [LS] means) of AUC(0-infinity).

RESULTS

Twenty-eight patients were randomized into the study (mean age, 56 [8] years; glycosylated hemoglobin, 8.0 [1.7]%; body mass index, 33 [5] kg/m2; all values given as mean [SD]). AUC(0-infinity) values (geometric LS mean SE for SC injections into the abdomen arm and thigh were 63,935 (6608), 59,573 (6157), and 62,148 (6424) pg./mL, respectively. The AUC (geometric LS mean ratio for relative bioavailability) for arm versus abdomen was 0.93 (geometric 90% CI, 0.82-1.05); for thigh versus abdomen it was 0.97 (geometric 90% CI, 0.86-1.10). Consistent with the observed data, intrasubject variability of AUC(0-infinity) was low among the 3 treatments (coefficient of variation, 26%). C(max) values (geometric LS mean [SE]) were 220 (24) pg/mL, abdomen; 218 (23) pg/mL, arm; and 193 (21) pg/mL, thigh. The C(max) (geometric LS mean ratio) for arm versus abdomen was 0.99 (geometric 90% CI, 0.85-1.15), and for thigh versus abdomen it was 0.88 (geometric 90% CI, 0.75-1.02). The most common treatment-emergent adverse events were mild to moderate nausea (36%), headache (25%), vomiting (21%), and dizziness (18%). Three patients received an inadvertent 10-fold overdose and were withdrawn from the study immediately. All experienced severe nausea and vomiting, and 1 patient experienced severe hypoglycemia requiring aid. All recovered without mishap and were excluded from statistical and tolerability results. There were no adverse events related to the injection or the injection site.

CONCLUSION

In this study of patients with type 2DM, SC administration of exenatide into the abdomen, arm, or thigh resulted in comparable bioavailability.