A Case of Hypoglycemia Caused by Orthosiphon in a Non-diabetic Man

Kim, Jae Hong; Cho, Ho Chan

doi:2010.11.1.86

J Korean Diabetes > Volume 11(1); 2010 > Article

Original Article

The Journal of Korean Diabetes 2010;11(1):86-89.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4093/kcd.2010.11.1.86

비당뇨병환자에서 Orthosiphon에 의한 저혈당 1예

김재홍, 조호찬

A Case of Hypoglycemia Caused by Orthosiphon in a Non-diabetic Man

Jae Hong Kim, Ho Chan Cho

Abstract

Hypoglycemia associated with the administration of drugs has been reported previously. Here, we report a case of hypoglycemia induced by Orthosiphon stamineus, which is a popular medicinal plant in Southeast Asia. A 27-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with tremor. He had ingested medication that included orlistat 360 mg and Orthosiphon stamineus extract 900 mg daily for more than 2 months to treat obesity. He had not experienced hypoglycemia prior to starting the above-mentioned medication and his symptoms disappeared rapidly with a carbohydrate-rich diet and discontinuation of the medication. Blood analysis after fasting provocation for 24 hours showed hypoglycemia (glucose level, 3.44 mmol/L) and simultaneous serum levels of insulin, C-peptide, and proinsulin were increased above normal to 17,835.45 pmol/L, 2.33 mmol/L, and 709 pmol/L, respectively. We report a case of hypoglycemia caused by Orthosiphon in a young non-diabetic man and propose that Orthosiphon stamineus extract, either alone or in combination with orlistat, might be beneficial for controlling glucose levels in diabetic patients. (Korean Clinical Diabetes J 11:86-89, 2010)

Key Words: Hypoglycemia, Orthosiphon