Lactic Acidosis and Hypoglycemia Associated with Acute Leukemia

A 42-year-old man was admitted because of episodic attack of general malaise. He was lethargic and had a severe lactic acidosis and hypoglycemia. Blood chemistry and endocrinological data were normal. Glucose administration led to an improvement in the hypoglycemia but not the lactic acidosis. At autopsy, there was a massive infiltration of leukemic cells in both kidneys and in liver. Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, pyruvate carboxylase and glucose-6-phosphatase activities in patient's liver were much the same as in the control liver, but fructose-1, 6-diphosphatase activity was slightly reduced. Since circulatory failure was absent, type B lactic acidosis has to be considered. Since hypoglycemia was associated with acidosis, the severe lactic acidosis in our patient may have been due to an overproduction of lactic acid as well as to an impaired hepatic gluconeogenesis in the presence of leukemic cells.