A Case Report on Metformin-Associated Lactic Acidosis and Transient Blindness
Abstract
Metformin is the first-line treatment for any patient with type 2 diabetes. Metformin-associated lactic acidosis and transient blindness have only been reported in some case series and case reports. It is rare and presents especially in patients with underlying chronic kidney disease (CKD) Stage III and above and on high doses of metformin or with a normal dose of metformin and an associated renal injury. We present here a rare and interesting case of something similar. A 77-year-old woman with a past medical history of type 2 diabetes on metformin, obesity status post gastric bypass, CKD Stage III, presented with complaints of nausea, vomiting, confusion, abdominal pain, diarrhea, decreased urine output, sudden visual loss, and a hypoglycemic episode at home. She was hemodynamically stable. Lab work was suggestive of leukocytosis, hyperkalemia, severe high anion gap metabolic and lactic acidosis, acute-on-chronic kidney injury. Findings on the computed tomography (CT) brain, chest radiograph, and CT abdomen and pelvis could not explain the current scenario. She received Ringer's lactate, a bicarbonate push, and an infusion. Acidosis continued to worsen, she became hypotensive requiring pressor support, and she was immediately taken for hemodialysis. All her symptoms, including vision loss, had improved with a single session of hemodialysis, even before the acidosis had corrected. Work-up for other causes of renal dysfunction came back negative. Metformin was discontinued.…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a case series, done in people. Its evidence level is 5 of 5 (Very low · case / narrative / animal / in vitro / in silico). Case reports, narrative reviews, and animal, cell or computer-model studies give the weakest evidence for human health.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Metformin as an adjuvant in breast cancer treatment
- Metformin Lysosomal Targeting: A Novel Aspect to Be Investigated for Metformin Repurposing in Neurodegenerative Diseases?
- Aberrant HSF1 signaling activation underlies metformin amelioration of myocardial infarction in mice
- Metformin induces ZFP36 by mTORC1 inhibition in cervical cancer-derived cell lines
- Protein Interaction Network for Identifying Vascular Response of Metformin (Oral Antidiabetic)
- Preventing Long COVID With Metformin
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.