Pseudohyperglycaemia in a comatose patient after picking cherries

Abstract

We report a case of pseudohyperglycaemia on a capillary blood glucose measurement taken from fingers stained with sugar (fructose). A 76-year-old patient with type 1 diabetes received emergency attention at home because of a coma. The first capillary blood glucose measurement collected from a finger revealed a concentration higher than the reference limits, misleading the clinician. After starting symptomatic treatment, a second blood glucose measurement was taken. This measurement, taken at the earlobe, revealed profound hypoglycaemia (0.89 mmol/L), which prompted the administration of appropriate treatment. The elevated initial capillary blood glucose measurement was linked to the presence of fructose on the fingers of the patient from picking cherries just before the patient fainted. After intravenous administration of glucose, the patient regained normal consciousness and had no sequelae despite the severity of the hypoglycaemia and delayed diagnosis. Pseudohyperglycaemia is rare, and delayed diagnosis frequently results in severe sequelae or death.