A patient with primary biliary cirrhosis complicated with slowly progressive insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus

Abstract

We report a case of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) complicated by slowly progressive insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (SPIDDM). A 67-year-old woman was diagnosed as having PBC based on clinical manifestations and a positive result of anti-mitochondrial antibody. Furthermore, SPIDDM was diagnosed by her clinical course and a positive result of anti-glutamic acid decarboxylase antibody. Both PBC and SPIDDM are considered to be autoimmune diseases. However, the coexistence of PBC and SPIDDM is extremely rare. Liver cirrhosis sometimes accompanies hyperglycemia. When the etiology of liver cirrhosis is an autoimmune disorder such as PBC, SPIDDM should be considered as a cause of hyperglycemia.