Many individuals with diabetic nephropathy, the leading cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the United States, progress to stage 5 of CKD and undergo maintenance dialysis treatment. Recent data indicate that in up to one-third of the diabetic dialysis patients with the presumptive diagnosis of diabetic nephropathy, glycemic control improves spontaneously with the progression of CKD, loss of residual renal function and the initiation of dialysis therapy, leading to normal to low hemoglobin A1c (<6%) and glucose levels, requiring cessation of insulin or other diabetic medications. Potential contributors to this so-called "burnt-out diabetes" include decreased renal and hepatic insulin clearance, decline in renal gluconeogenesis, deficient catecholamine release, diminished food intake due to anorexia and/or diabetic gastroparesis, protein-energy wasting with resultant weight and body fat loss, and hypoglycemic effect of dialysis treatment. Although the concept of "burnt-out diabetes" appears in sharp contradistinction to the natural history of diabetes mellitus, studying this condition and its potential causes and consequences including the role of genetic factors may lead to better understanding of the pathophysiology of metabolic syndrome and diabetes mellitus in the CKD population and in many other individuals with chronic disease states associated with wasting syndrome that can confound the natural history of diabetes. Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.
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Brief Case ReportMr. H. is a 54-year-old Filipino man who has been undergoing maintenance hemodialysis for 3 years. He was first diagnosed with diabetes mellitus (DM) type 2 approx. 25 years ago and initially treated with oral hypoglycemic agents. Several years later the patient required insulin injections for refractory hyperglycemia (>350 mg/dl), high hemoglobin A1c levels (>8%) and polyuria due to osmotic glucosuria. His BMI was 35 kg/m2 then. In addition to insulin, he also received anti-hypertensive medications including ACEI-inhibitors for hypertension, statins for LDL-hypercholesterolemia (>160 mg/dL), and pain medications for diabetic neuropathy with severe burning pain in his feet. In-between he underwent quadruple bypass surgery for extensive coronary artery disease and laser treatment for diabetic proliferative retinopathy. The patient required progressively higher doses of insulin until 5 years ago, when he presented to emergency room with hypoglycemic episode, which led to lowering his insulin dose for the first time. At that time, his serum creatinine was 1.7 mg/d...