Hypoglycemia

 

Hypoglycemia

What is hypoglycemia?

Hypoglycemia or hypoglycemia is a syndrome caused by hypoglycemia. The severity and symptoms of hypoglycemia vary from person to person. A blood test can diagnose hypoglycemia, and symptoms should disappear when blood sugar levels return to normal. The medical term for blood sugar levels is blood sugar.

 What are the symptoms and signs that indicate low blood sugar?

A normal blood sugar range is 70 to 100 mg/dL on an empty stomach (that is, not immediately after a meal). The body's biochemical response to hypoglycemia usually begins around age 70. At this point, the liver releases its reserves and the above hormones are activated. In many people, this process occurs without clinical symptoms. The amount of insulin produced is also reduced, preventing further drops in glucose.

Although there are individual differences, in most cases symptoms suggestive of hypoglycemia appear when the blood sugar level drops below 50 mg/dL. The first group of symptoms is called adrenergic (or sympathetic) because it involves the nervous system's response to hypoglycemia.

A person with hypoglycemia may exhibit any of the following symptoms or signs:

nerve

Sweat

strong hunger

Dizziness or dizziness

shiver

weak

palpitations

hard to say

skinny

concentration problem

Hypersensitivity

changes in behavior or personality

convulsions

syncope

Most people can easily spot these symptoms. The majority of diabetics experience this level of hypoglycemia only when taking medication or insulin. People with high circulating insulin (diabetics or insulin resistance) who are fasting or changing their diet to significantly reduce their carbohydrate intake should also be warned. These individuals may also develop moderate hypoglycemia.

People who are being treated for this condition because of diabetes may not develop symptoms as easily as people without diabetes. This phenomenon is called hypoglycemic disturbance of consciousness. This is dangerous because blood sugar levels are extremely low before symptoms appear. Anyone who has had an episode of hypoglycemia has stated that there is an urgent need to eat and manage symptoms .And that's exactly what these symptoms are for. They act as warning signs to tell the body to burn more fuel. Even at this level, the brain has access to circulating blood sugar for fuel. Symptoms give a person a chance to raise blood sugar levels before the brain is affected. If you can't or can't respond by eating something to raise your blood sugar, your blood sugar will continue to fall. As blood sugar levels continue to fall, patients reach a neurogenic glycopenia threshold (meaning the brain cannot get enough glucose). At this stage, symptoms progress to confusion, drowsiness, behavior changes, coma, and seizures.  

Why is hypoglycemia dangerous?

When the level of glucose circulating in the blood drops, the brain actually feels the drop. The brain then sends a message that triggers a chain of events. This includes changes in nerve and hormonal responses aimed at raising blood sugar levels. Insulin secretion decreases, and hormones that raise blood sugar levels, including glucagon, cortisol, growth hormone, and epinephrine, all increase. As mentioned above, the liver stores glycogen, which is quickly converted to glucose. As biochemical processes take place, the body begins to consciously warn the affected person of their need for food by producing the signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia.

One of its main fuel sources is sugar, which the body obtains from simple or complex carbohydrates in the diet. For emergencies (such as prolonged fasting), the body stores sugar in the form of glycogen in the liver. When this storage is needed, the body undergoes a biochemical process to produce new sugar (gluconeogenesis). , which converts these glycogen stores into sugars. This preservation process highlights the importance of sugar as an energy source (so important that humans have developed evolutionary storage systems to avoid sugar shortages). Of all the organs in the body, the brain depends almost exclusively on sugar (glucose). The brain rarely uses ketones as an energy source unless absolutely necessary, which is not preferred. The brain cannot produce glucose on its own and its supply is supplied to the rest of the body. 100% dependent. If blood sugar levels drop for any reason (or if the brain's needs are increased and not met), brain function can be compromised. Risk factors are type 1 or type 2 diabetes, or possibly prediabetes. Despite advances in diabetes management, many effective medications used to treat diabetes can reduce too much sugar in the blood to cause symptoms of the disease, so episodes of hypoglycemia are not optimal. In large studies of tightly controlled type 1 and type 2 diabetes, hypoglycemia was more common in the most aggressively treated patients. was common. It is important for patients and physicians to be aware of this, especially if the goal of diabetes treatment is to improve glycemic control.

 What causes hypoglycemia?

Despite advances in diabetes treatment, episodes of hypoglycemia are a side effect of many diabetes treatments. In fact, these episodes are often the limiting factor in achieving optimal glycemic control, as many effective antidiabetic medications can cause blood glucose to drop too low.

 

In a large study of tightly controlled type 1 and type 2 diabetes, hypoglycemia was more common in the most aggressively treated patients. It is important for patients and physicians to be aware of this, especially if the goal of diabetes treatment is to improve glycemic control.  

People with normal metabolism may report symptoms similar to hypoglycemia, but true hypoglycemia is more common in people with diabetes (types 1 and 2). ). People with prediabetes or insulin resistance may also experience hypoglycemia when prolonged fasting further increases circulating insulin levels. also have rare causes.

 

These rare causes of hypoglycemia will not be discussed in this article, but we will focus primarily on the condition that occurs in his type 1 or type 2 diabetes and how to treat it.