[Diabetes mellitus induced by pentamidine, without previous episodes of hypoglycemia, in patients with AIDS].

The onset of a pneumonia by P. carinii in AIDS patients have force scientist to look for others therapies against this parasite. It is more necessary when the first line treatment which is cotrimoxazol produced secondary effects or not therapeutic effects. Pentamidine which is an agent usually used to treat leishmaniasis and trypanosomiasis, but it is an alternative for P. carinii infection. The problems are the frequent and severe secondary effects when administered by continuous infusions and less when it is inhaled. Between those effects are the changes in carbohydrate metabolism which are 9% of them. It is frequent observe hypoglycemia during infusion following by hyperglycemia in 5% of the cases which convert the patients in diabetic insulinodependent. A case of a patient who developed diabetes mellitus insulinodependent, 10 days after the end of pentamidine treatment, without previous episodes of hypoglycemia, is presented. The medical literature is reviewed.