Congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI) is biochemically characterised by the dysregulated secretion of insulin from pancreatic beta-cells. It is a major cause of persistent hyperinsulinaemic hypoglycaemia (HH) in the newborn and infancy period. Genetically CHI is a heterogeneous condition with mutations in seven different genes described. The genetic basis of CHI involves defects in key genes which r...

SUMMARY Poland syndrome (PS) is a rare congenital condition, affecting 1 in 30 000 live births worldwide, characterised by a unilateral absence of the sternal head of the pectoralis major and ipsilateral symbrachydactyly occasionally associated with abnormalities of musculoskeletal structures. A baby girl, born at 40 weeks' gestation with birth weight of 3.33 kg (-0.55 SDS) had typical phenotyp...

Congenital hyperinsulinism, or persistent hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia of infancy (PHHI), is a glucose metabolism disorder characterized by unregulated secretion of insulin and profound hypoglycemia. From a morphological standpoint, there are two types of histopathological lesions, a focal adenomatous hyperplasia of islet cells of the pancreas in approximately 30% of operated sporadic cases, a...

Pancreatic β-cells are finely tuned to secrete insulin so that plasma glucose levels are maintained within a narrow physiological range (3.5-5.5 mmol/L). Hyperinsulinaemic hypoglycaemia (HH) is the inappropriate secretion of insulin in the presence of low plasma glucose levels and leads to severe and persistent hypoglycaemia in neonates and children. Mutations in 12 different key genes (ABCC8, ...

Sirolimus treatment reduced dependence on octreotide and frequent feeding in 4 infants with CHI in a recent study [1]. We report our experience in a 1 year-old boy with presumed diffuse disease due to a de novo heterozygous ABCC8 missense mutation (p.D1506E). This macrosomic infant (term birth weight 5.676kg) presented with hypoglycaemia in the first hours of life. Critical sample results were ...

Congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI) is the commonest cause of persistent hypoglycemia in neonates. Diazoxide is the first-line drug in its treatment, but the more severe cases are usually diazoxide-resistant. Recessive ABCC8 and KCNJ11 mutations are responsible for most (82%) of the severe diazoxide-unresponsive CHI. Oral nifedipine has been effective in isolated cases of CHI. Successful treatment...

The diagnosis and treatment of congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI) have made a remarkable progress over the past 20 years and, currently, it is relatively rare to see patients who are left with severe psychomotor delay. The improvement was made possible by the recent developments in the understanding of the molecular and pathological basis of CHI. Known etiologies include inactivating mutations of...

Recessive mutations of sulfonylurea receptor 1 (SUR1) and potassium inward rectifier 6.2 (Kir6.2), the two adjacent genes on chromosome 11p that comprise the beta-cell plasma membrane ATP-sensitive K(+) (K(ATP)) channels, are responsible for the most common form of congenital hyperinsulinism in children. The present study was undertaken to identify the genetic defect in a family with dominantly...

PURPOSE Molecular basis of various forms of hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia, involving defects in key genes regulating insulin secretion, are being increasingly reported. However, the management of medically unresponsive hyperinsulinism still remains a challenge as current facilities for genetic diagnosis and appropriate imaging are limited only to very few centers in the world. We aim to provide...