Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42789768›Full record

ArticleEndocrinology, diabetes & metabolism case reports2026

Concurrent metformin-associated lactic acidosis and euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis from tirzepatide starvation ketosis.

Frank Epitropoulos, Omar Brijawi, Khizar Ghuman, Will Van Beusekom, Inderpal Thethi

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Endocrinology, diabetes & metabolism case reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Frank EpitropoulosORCID 0009-0008-7681-6176
Omar Brijawi
Khizar Ghuman
Will Van Beusekom
Inderpal Thethi

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

summaryWe describe a case of concurrent metformin-associated lactic acidosis (MALA) and euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis (EDKA) in a 64-year-old woman with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) treated with metformin and tirzepatide who presented with shock, encephalopathy, and severe high anion gap metabolic acidosis after two weeks of markedly reduced oral intake following tirzepatide dose escalation. While incretin-based therapies, including dual glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide/glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GIP/GLP-1 RAs) such as tirzepatide, are highly effective for glycemic control and weight management, gastrointestinal (GI) adverse effects may lead to prolonged caloric restriction and starvation physiology. In this patient, starvation ketosis progressed to EDKA, while concurrent dehydration and acute kidney injury (AKI) impaired metformin clearance, resulting in MALA with markedly elevated lactate. The patient required endotracheal intubation, vasopressor support, and continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT), with rapid clinical and metabolic improvement following discontinuation of metformin and tirzepatide. This case highlights the potential for severe overlapping metabolic complications involving starvation-related ketoacidosis, dehydration, AKI, and impaired metformin clearance when incretin-based therapies are continued during prolonged poor oral intake. LEARNING POINTS:

Indexed as

euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosismetformin-associated lactic acidosistirzepatide

Identifiers

PMID42789768
PMCPMC13640942

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.