Diabetic Ketoacidosis Associated With Orlistat Treatment
- Sami T. Azar, MD and
- Mira S. Zantout, BS
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, American University Hospital, New York, New York
Orlistat is a drug frequently prescribed as an adjuvant in weight control therapy (1–2).
Orlistat inhibits gastric and pancreatic lipases in the lumen of the gastrointestinal tract to decrease the systemic absorption of dietary fat (1,2). In clinical trials, steatorrhoea and other gastrointestinal disorders are the most frequently reported side effects (3). Other reported adverse effects include hypertension (4) and depression (5). No cases of severe hyperglycemia or diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) have been previously reported with this drug.
We report an 18-year-old Caucasian …
