February 17, 2007
Other, Type 2
Question from India:
What are the possible glycogen storing and breakdown abnormalities in type 2 diabetics who are not yet on medications, on just oral medicines and on oral medicines and insulin? Can more and continual insulin exposure (endo or exogenous), either due to persisting hyperglycemia or added, interfere in the normal storage and breakdown/usageof glycogen? Why is glycogenic heptameghaly?
Answer:
Diabetes is usually associated with inappropriate glucose output from the liver. That means that there is inappropriately elevated glycogen breakdown and gluconeogenesis causing the increased glucose output. Insulin works to decrease these pathways in the liver. I am not sure what you mean by glycogenic hepatomegaly. There are some inborn errors of metabolism diseases associated with inactivity of enzymes where glycogen cannot be broken down, increases in the liver, and causes an enlargement in the liver.
JTL
