Forensic aspects of insulin

• Published in: Diabetes research and clinical practice Vol. 101; no. 3; pp. 248 - 254
• Main Authors: Marks, Vincent, Wark, Gwen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ireland Elsevier Ireland Ltd 01.09.2013
• Subjects: Endocrinology & Metabolism; Forensic; Forensic Sciences - methods; Humans; Hypoglycemia - diagnosis; Hypoglycemia - metabolism; Immunoassay; Insulin; Insulin - analysis; Insulin - metabolism; Mass Spectrometry; Reproducibility of Results; Insulin; Forensic
• ISSN: 0168-8227; 1872-8227
• DOI: 10.1016/j.diabres.2013.05.002

Abstract Insulin or, more appropriately, hypoglycaemia gives rise to a wide variety of interactions with the law. In most cases its role is not seriously open to question occasionally however, it is. This is especially true of situations in which insulin is suspected of having been used inappropriately or maliciously. The major differences between investigation of hypoglycaemia in clinical and forensic situation are that in the latter the history is often unreliable, appropriate samples for analysis were not collected, preserved or labelled correctly and analytical results are likely to be challenged on grounds of specificity, accuracy and interpretation. Immunoassay remains the mainstay of clinical investigation of hypoglycaemia but likely to become displaced by mass-spectrometry in the forensic situation especially now that human insulin is being replaced by synthetic insulin analogues for the treatment of diabetes.