A case of secondary diabetes mellitus with acromegaly improved by pioglitazone

Aim  The acromegaly patient was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes mellitus. His HbA1c was 10.6% and fasting blood glucase (FBG) 15.3 mmol/l. We prescribed glibenclamide (10 mg/day), but his HbA1c and FBG remained high. At this stage, treatmer with short-acting insulin was instigated at a dose of 20 U/day. However, the patient's blood glucose level remained unsatisfactory. We tried using pioglitazone. Method  Pioglitazone was prescribed at 30 mg/day in combination with the insulin. Results  The FBG and HbA1c value decreased to 7.2 mmol/l and 7.3%, respectively, within 2 months and insulin was discontinued. Pioglitazone alone was able to control the FBG level. Conclusions  Pioglitazone treatment might be considered as a choice for similar cases of diabetes secondary to acromegaly.