Maternally Inherited Diabetes with Deafness and Obesity: Body Weight Reduction Response to Treatment with Insulin Analogues

Maternally inherited diabetes with deafness (MIDD) is a rare, monogenic form of diabetes mellitus caused by mutations in the mitochondrial genome, the most frequent being the A3243G substitution of the tRNALeu gene. We screened 520 individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus and 45 probands from families with a clinical picture of maturity onset diabetes of the young (MODY) using restriction fragment length polymorphism. One carrier of the mutation being investigated was found in a proband from a MODY family. The patient was a 20 year-old woman, diagnosed at the age of 16 years as having type 1 diabetes mellitus. On entry to the study, she was treated by a multiple daily injection regimen (MDI) with regular human insulin and human NPH insulin. Typical extra-pancreatic symptoms of MIDD were present, such as macular pattern dystrophy and mild bilateral sensory hearing loss. Additionally, the patient presented abdominal obesity (BMI 32.0), an uncommon feature in monogenic insulin secretion defects, including MIDD. To facilitate weight loss, the diabetes treatment was modified. Since metformin treatment is considered to be contraindicated in MIDD because of the increased risk of lactic acidosis, we used insulin analogues (aspart and detemir) in an MDI regimen and hypocaloric diet. This resulted in a 6.3 kg weight reduction (BMI 27.4) and normalization of HbA1c level (from 7.2 to 6.1 %) during a three-month follow-up. On the basis of this case, we suggest that an MDI regimen with insulin analogues may be a preferred therapeutic option in some rare clinical situations, such as MIDD associated with obesity.