The pancreas is an organ in the abdomen that releases the hormone insulin. Insulin is required to regulate blood levels of the sugar glucose. Tumors of the pancreas that produce excessive amounts of insulin (hyperinsulinemia) are called insulinomas.
High insulin levels cause hypoglycemia, or low blood glucose. Hypoglycemia caused by insulinomas may be mild and lead to symptoms such as anxiety and hunger, but patients are also at risk for severe hypoglycemia that can cause seizures, coma and even death.
Insulinomas are rare tumors that occur in about 1 out of 250,000 people. They usually occur as single, small tumors in adults, though the majority of children with hyperinsulinemia do not have a discrete tumor.
Five to ten percent of insulinomas are malignant. Patients diagnosed with multiple endocrine neoplasia, Type I (MENI), are at risk to develop insulinomas.
|