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Republished Case report
Republished: Metformin-associated lactic acidosis: reinforcing learning points
  1. Mohummad Shaan Goonoo1,
  2. Rebecca Morris2,
  3. Ajay Raithatha2,
  4. Fionuala Creagh1
  1. 1 Diabetes and Endocrine Centre, Hadfield Wing, Northern General Hospital, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield, UK
  2. 2 Critical Care Department, Northern General Hospital, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield, UK
  1. Correspondence to Dr Mohummad Shaan Goonoo; mshaan.goonoo{at}doctors.org.uk

https://doi.org/10.1136/dtb.2021.235608rep

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    Summary

    Metformin-associated lactic acidosis (MALA) carries a high mortality rate. It is seen in patients with type 2 diabetes on metformin or patients who attempt suicide with metformin overdose. We present the case of a man in his early 20s with type 2 diabetes, hypertension and hypothyroidism who presented with agitation, abdominal pain and vomiting after ingesting 50–60 g of metformin; he developed severe lactic acidosis (blood pH 6.93, bicarbonate 7.8 mEq/L, lactate 28.0 mEq/L). He was managed with intravenous 8.4% bicarbonate infusion and continuous venovenous haemodiafiltration. He also developed acute renal failure (ARF) requiring intermittent haemodialysis and continuous haemodiafiltration. MALA is uncommon and causes changes in different vital organs and even death. The primary goals of therapy are restoration of acid-base status and removal of metformin. Early renal replacement therapy for ARF can result in rapid reversal of the acidosis and good recovery, even with levels of lactate normally considered to be incompatible with survival.

    Background

    Metformin is an anti-hyperglycaemic agent belonging to the class of biguanides. Lactic acidosis can occur with metformin use especially when taken in large amounts such as in an overdose. Metformin-associated lactic acidosis (MALA) refers to lactic acidosis associated with metformin overdose or in association with other comorbidities such as renal or hepatic insufficiency or acute infection. Clinically MALA usually presents with gastrointestinal symptoms (nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea), altered mental status, hypotension and hypothermia.1 MALA is a rare entity, mostly reported to occur in 0.03–0.1 cases per 1000 patient-years2 but …

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors MSG: substantial contributions to conception and design, acquisition of data, drafting the article, revising it critically for important intellectual content, final approval of the version to be published. RM: substantial contributions to conception and design, drafting the article, revising it critically for important intellectual content, final approval of the version to be published. AR: substantial contributions to conception and design, revising it critically for important intellectual content, final approval of the version to be published. FC: substantial contributions to conception and design, revising it critically for important intellectual content, final approval of the version to be published.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.