Transient elevation of liver transaminase after starting insulin therapy for diabetic ketosis or ketoacidosis in newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes mellitus

Abstract 

A mild increase of AST and/or ALT is sometimes observed among patients with diabetic ketosis or diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) after initial insulin treatment, and the exact mechanism is still undefined. Therefore, we compared the clinical background between patients with and without transient elevation of liver transaminase (TELT) at the onset of type 1 diabetes mellitus with diabetic ketosis or DKA. Among 50 patients, 13 patients showed TELT. The TELT group was characterized by higher plasma glucose (P<0.05), higher HbA1c (P<0.05), and higher triglyceride (P<0.01) before insulin therapy than those without TELT. The TELT group needed significantly more insulin (P<0.05) for the treatment. In echo-histogram analysis of three patients with TELT, the increase of liver–kidney contrast after insulin treatment suggested fat deposition to the liver. The fat deposition to the liver might be one of the causes of the mild increase of AST and/or ALT after initial treatment of insulin in diabetic ketosis or DKA.

Keywords: Type 1 diabetes, Diabetic ketoacidosis, Fatty liver, AST, ALT