An insulinoma is a tumor in the pancreas that produces too much insulin. Show The pancreas is an organ in the abdomen. The pancreas makes several enzymes and hormones, including the hormone insulin. Insulin's job is to reduce the level of sugar (glucose) in the blood by helping sugar move into cells. Most of the time when your blood sugar level decreases, the pancreas stops making insulin to make sure that your blood sugar stays in the normal range. Tumors of the pancreas that produce too much insulin are called insulinomas. Insulinomas keep making insulin, and can make your blood sugar level too low (hypoglycemia). A high blood insulin level causes a low blood sugar level (hypoglycemia). Hypoglycemia may be mild, leading to symptoms such as anxiety and hunger. Or it can be severe, leading to seizures, coma, and even death. Insulinomas are very rare tumors. They usually occur as single, small tumors. But there can also be several small tumors. Most insulinomas are non-cancerous (benign) tumors. People with certain genetic disorders, such as multiple endocrine neoplasia type I, are at higher risk for insulinomas. After fasting, your blood may be tested for:
CT, MRI, or PET scan of the abdomen may be done to look for a tumor in the pancreas. If a tumor is not seen in the scans, one of the following tests may be performed:
Surgery is the usual treatment for insulinoma. If there is a single tumor, it will be removed. If there are many tumors, part of the pancreas will need to be removed. At least 15% of the pancreas must be left to produce normal levels of enzymes for digestion. In rare cases, the entire pancreas is removed if there are many insulinomas or they continue to come back. Removing the entire pancreas leads to diabetes because there is no longer any insulin being produced. Insulin shots (injections) are then required. If no tumor is found during surgery, or if you can't have surgery, you may get the medicine diazoxide to lower insulin production and prevent hypoglycemia. A water pill (diuretic) is given with this medicine to prevent the body from retaining fluid. Octreotide is another medicine that is used to reduce insulin release in some people. In most cases, the tumor is non-cancerous (benign), and surgery can cure the disease. But a severe hypoglycemic reaction or the spread of a cancerous tumor to other organs can be life-threatening. Complications may include:
Call your health care provider if you develop any symptoms of insulinoma. Seizures and losing consciousness are an emergency. Call 911 or the local emergency number right away. Insulinoma; Islet cell adenoma, Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor; Hypoglycemia - insulinoma Asban A, Patel AJ, Reddy S, Wang T, Balentine CJ, Chen H. Cancer of the endocrine system. In: Niederhuber JE, Armitage JO, Kastan MB, Doroshow JH, Tepper JE, eds. Abeloff's Clinical Oncology. 6th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 68. National Comprehensive Cancer Network website. NCCN clinical practice guidelines in oncology (NCCN guidelines): Neuroendocrine and adrenal tumors. Version 2.2020. www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/pdf/neuroendocrine.pdf. Updated July 24, 2020. Accessed November 11, 2020. Strosberg JR, Al-Toubah T. Neuroendocrine tumors. In: Feldman M, Friedman LS, Brandt LJ, eds. Sleisenger and Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease. 11th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 34. Updated by: Brent Wisse, MD, board certified in Metabolism/Endocrinology, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team. What Is Insulin? Hormone Health Network. 2018. What Is Insulin Resistance? Joslin Diabetes Center. Prediabetes and Insulin Resistance. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. August 2009. Insulin Resistance. British Diabetes Association. Acanthosis Nigricans. American Academy of Dermatology Association. Does Pins and Needles Sensation Mean You Have Diabetes? TheDiabetesCouncil.com. January 15, 2018. Diagnosing Diabetes and Learning About Prediabetes. American Diabetes Association. November 21, 2016. Lin P-J, Borer KT. Third Exposure to a Reduced Carbohydrate Meal Lowers Evening Postprandial Insulin and GIP Responses and HOMA-IR Estimate of Insulin Resistance. PLoS One. October 31, 2016. Hirshkowitz M, Whiton K, Albert SM, et al. National Sleep Foundation's Sleep Time Duration Recommendations: Methodology and Results Summary. Sleep Health. March 2015. Corticosteroids and Diabetes. British Diabetes Association. How Much Sleep Do We Really Need? National Sleep Foundation. The Link Between a Lack of Sleep and Type 2 Diabetes. National Sleep Foundation. Understanding Diabetes and Mental Health. American Diabetes Association. Complications. American Diabetes Association. Healthy Weight. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. April 28, 2021. Statistics About Diabetes. American Diabetes Association. Understanding Insulin Resistance. American Diabetes Association. Understanding A1C Diagnosis. American Diabetes Association. Prediabetes. Mayo Clinic. September 22, 2020. Insulin Resistance. University of Pittsburgh. Li Z, Xu W, Su Y, et al. Nicotine Induces Insulin Resistance Via Downregulation of Nrf2 in Cardiomyocyte. Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology. September 2019. Raygor V, Abbasi F, Lazzeroni LC, et al. Impact of Race/Ethnicity on Insulin Resistance and Hypertriglyceridaemia. Diabetes and Vascular Disease Research. March 2019. Taylor R, Al-Mrabeh A, Sattar N. Understanding the Mechanisms of Reversal of Type 2 Diabetes. The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. September 2019. Kodama K, Tojjar D, Yamada S, et al. Ethnic Differences in the Relationship Between Insulin Sensitivity and Insulin Response. Diabetes Care. June 2013. Understanding the Stress Response. Harvard Health Publishing. July 6, 2020. What causes the pancreas to stop producing insulin?Insulin helps glucose in your blood enter your muscle, fat and liver cells so they can use it for energy or store it for later use. When glucose enters your cells and the levels in your bloodstream decrease, it signals your pancreas to stop producing insulin.
What happens when your body stops producing insulin?Without insulin, your body will break down its own fat and muscle, resulting in weight loss. This can lead to a serious short-term condition called diabetic ketoacidosis. This is when the bloodstream becomes acidic, you develop dangerous levels of ketones in your blood stream and become severely dehydrated.
Can pancreas start producing insulin again?Researchers have discovered that patients with type 1 diabetes can regain the ability to produce insulin. They showed that insulin-producing cells can recover outside the body. Hand-picked beta cells from the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas.
What happens if the pancreas is unable to regulate blood sugar?Diabetes occurs when the body either does not secrete enough insulin or when the body no longer uses the insulin it secretes effectively. Diabetes falls into two categories: Type 1 diabetes occurs when the pancreas cannot produce insulin sufficiently to meet its own needs.
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What happens when the pancreas stops producing insulin
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