Virtually all cases of hypoglycemia are due to the adverse effect of insulin or oral hypoglycemic agents in diabetic patients.
It occurs mainly in those who take insulin injections, which is common in patients with type 1 diabetes or advanced type 2 diabetes.
In those who do not have diabetes, the pancreas is able to accurately control blood glucose levels. Insulin is produced constantly, being released in greater or lesser quantity throughout the day, according to the blood glucose values.
Hypoglycaemia is rare in non-diabetic patients. However, when it arises, it can have as causes:
- Alcoholism;
- Cirrhosis or severe hepatitis;
- Malnutrition or low carbohydrate diet;
- Cortisol deficiency;
- Tumors of the pancreas;
- Medications: gatifloxacin, quinine, indomethacin, lithium and pentamidine;
- Surgeries for stomach reduction.
Fatigue, headache, irritation or lack of energy after periods of prolonged fasting does not necessarily mean that the person is hypoglycaemic.
These signs are a natural reaction of the body to hunger and do not mean that they are caused by low blood sugar levels. To be considered as hypoglycaemia, the blood glucose must be below 60 mg / dL.
In most cases, symptoms of hypoglycemia only appear when the glycemia value falls below 60 mg / dl.
Glucose is the body's main fuel and when its blood levels are low, the body manifests typical signs and symptoms, due not only to cellular suffering from lack of energy, especially from neurons, but also to the reaction of the nervous system to the drop in blood glucose values.
When blood glucose levels become dangerously low, in addition to stimulating the production of glucagon, the brain under metabolic stress also causes an increase in adrenaline, a hormone inhibits insulin and stimulates the release of liver glucose stores.
Elevated levels of adrenaline, glucagon and other blood-regulating hormones cause the adrenergic symptoms of hypoglycemia, also known as symptoms neurogenic hypoglycaemia.
Some of the most common signs and symptoms:
- Sweating;
- Tremors;
- Nervousness;
- Heat;
- Hunger;
- Tachycardia (fast heart);
- Numbness in the lips or limbs;
- Headache.
In general, the neurogenic symptoms of hypoglycemia arise when the blood glucose drops below 60 mg / dl. More sensitive people may have mild symptoms with blood glucose below 70 mg / dl.
The symptoms neuroglycopenic of hypoglycemia are those that arise because of the lack of glucose for the brain cells. They usually occur when your blood sugar drops below 55 or 50 mg / dl.
Since glucose is the main energy source of neurons, when it becomes scarce, brain cells become malfunctioning and may cause the following signs and symptoms:
- Prostration;
- Behavioral changes;
- Loss of reasoning ability;
- Lethargy;
- Motor incoordination;
- Incoherent speech;
- Visual changes;
- Reduced level of consciousness;
- Convulsions;
- With the.
The last 3 described symptoms usually appear only in severe cases of hypoglycemia, with blood glucose values below 40 mg / dl. Hypoglycaemia values less than 30 mg / dl can cause death if not detected and corrected.
If hypoglycemia is suspected, a physician (preferably an endocrinologist) should be consulted. He will be able to evaluate in detail, through anamnesis, physical examination and eventual complementary tests, what his correct diagnosis is, guide him and prescribe the best treatment, case by case.
