It is the lowering of blood glucose below the value considered normal (50 - 60 mg/100ml).
Among the most common causes are: lack of insulin in diabetics, prolonged fasting, very intense exercise and low intake.
It manifests with sweating, tremors, tachycardia, increased sensation of hunger, blurred vision, dizziness, tiredness, headache, irritability and/or drowsiness. In severe cases, it causes convulsions, coma, irreversible brain damage and death.
The diagnosis of suspicion is clinical, by interrogation and physical examination. It is confirmed with a rapid analysis of the glucose level through a drop of blood.
It should be treated urgently to avoid serious consequences, by administering glucose. Depending on the level of consciousness of the patient, it will be administered by giving drinks with sugar and eating carbohydrates, intravenously or with intramuscular Glucagon that increases hepatic production of glucose. If the patient is taking oral drugs for diabetes, the sugar drop may be repeated, so it is recommended to keep the patient under surveillance for hours.
- F John Service, MD, PhD. Philip E Cryer, MD. Hypoglycemia in adults: Clinical manifestations, definition, and causes. UpToDate. Jun 16, 2015.
- Philip E Cryer, MD. Physiologic response to hypoglycemia in normal subjects and patients with diabetes mellitus. UpToDate. Aug 02, 2016.
- Seaquist ER, Anderson J, Childs B, et al. Hypoglycemia and diabetes: a report of a workgroup of the American Diabetes Association and the Endocrine Society. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2013; 98:1845.
- Murad MH, Coto-Yglesias F, Wang AT, et al. Clinical review: Drug-induced hypoglycemia: a systematic review. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2009; 94:741.
- Cryer PE, Axelrod L, Grossman AB, et al. Evaluation and management of adult hypoglycemic disorders: an Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2009; 94:709.
