Understanding Hypoglycemia: Causes, Symptoms, and Management

What is it?

Hypoglycemia is a state of low blood sugar levels. An episode of hypoglycemia is an emergency and should be treated promptly.
Hypoglycemia mostly appears in diabetic patients as a side effect of their treatment. It can also occur in people without diabetes due to different medications, excessive alcohol drinking or rarely due to a tumor in the pancreas called Insulinoma.
Hypoglycemia after a meal are more common in people who have had stomach bypass surgery.

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Additional names

This group contains additional names:
- hyperinsulinemia
- reactive hypoglycemia

Signs & symptoms

The signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia can change between people and over time.
At start you might feel sweaty and shaky, extremely hungry and worried.
If the hypoglycemia left untreated, more serious symptoms can develop- blurry vision, dizziness and confusion, and even seizures.
If you had diabetes for a long time, or if you are suffering from recurrent hypoglycemias, you might not have any symptoms until your sugar levels are extremely low. this is called hypoglycemia unawareness.

Diagnosis

If you have diabetes and you are experiencing the symptoms mentioned above, you should check your blood sugar urgently and treat accordantly.
If you don’t have diabetes, your doctor will check your blood sugar and insulin levels. He will also go through your medication list, to check for any drugs that can lower your blood sugar levels. additional tests may be needed to reach a diagnosis.

Treatment

The first immediate treatment for hypoglycemia is to get your blood sugar levels back up. You can do it by eating a tablespoon of sugar, honey or a glass of juice. If the symptoms are not improving and your sugar level is not rising, you should seek for medical attention urgently.
In order to prevent future hypoglycemias, you should check your blood sugar levels often, and get familiar with the symptoms- as soon as you start feeling the first symptom, check your blood sugar levels again and treat accordingly.
Ask your doctor for further guidance and prevention methods

☝️ This is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult with your physician before making any medical decision.

Learn more about our editorial process for content accuracy.

Source of Information - We analyze big data of more than 23 million patients de-identified medical records from the following sources:

National Institution of Health ∙ World Health Organization ∙ University of Illinois hospital