LOW BLOOD SUGAR

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Definition

Hypoglycemia is a condition that occurs when your blood sugar (glucose) is too low.

Alternative Names

Insulin shock; Low blood sugar

Causes, incidence, and risk factors

Hypoglycemia occurs when:

• Your body's sugar (glucose) is used up too quickly
• Glucose is released into the bloodstream too slowly
• Too much insulin is released into the bloodstream

Insulin is a hormone that reduces blood glucose. It is produced by the pancreas in response to increased glucose levels in the blood.

Hypoglycemia is relatively common in persons with diabetes. It occurs when:

• You take too much insulin or diabetes medicine
• You don't eat enough food
• You suddenly increase your exercise without increasing the amount of food you eat

Relative hypoglycemia is a fairly common condition in which a newborn's blood glucose is low. Babies born to mothers with diabetes may have severe hypoglycemia.

Severe hypoglycemia that results in unconsciousness is also called insulin shock.

Idiopathic hypoglycemia is hypoglycemia that occurs without a known cause. People with this type of hypoglycemia do not have diabetes.

Hypoglycemia may also be caused by:

• Ingestion of alcohol
• Insulin-secreting tumor of the pancreas
• Liver disease

The condition affects approximately 1 out of every 1,000 people.

Symptoms

• Cold sweats
• Confusion
• Convulsions
• Coma
• Double vision or blurry vision
• Fatigue
• General discomfort, uneasiness, or ill feeling (malaise)
• Headache
• Hunger
• Irritability (possible aggression)
• Nervousness
• Rapid heart rate
• Trembling

Other symptoms that may be associated with this disease:

• Decreased alertness
• Different size pupils
• Dizziness
• Excessive sweating
• Fainting
• Hallucinations
• Memory loss
• Muscle pain
• Paleness
• Pounding heartbeat (heartbeat sensations)
• Sleeping difficulty

Signs and tests

Home monitoring of blood glucose levels will show readings lower than 50 mg/dL.

Serum glucose test will be low.

Reviewer Info: Elizabeth H. Holt, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Section of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Yale University. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc., 06/17/2008