Causes, diagnosis, and treatment of hypoglycemia

Dalia Adukauskienė, Jurgita Blauzdytė¹

Clinic of Intensive Care, Kaunas University of Medicine, ¹Kaunas University of Medicine, Lithuania

Key words: glucose; hypoglycemia; insulin; glucagon; insulinoma; diabetes mellitus.

Summary. Diagnosis and treatment of hypoglycemia is an actual problem because glucose is the principal source of energy for central nervous system except permanent starvation when the ketone bodies are used by the central nervous system for energy. Glucose homeostasis depends on primary glucoregulatory organs – pancreas, liver, adrenal glands, and hypophysis. Insulin, glucagon, cathecholamines, cortisol, and growth hormone take part in this interaction. Hypoglycemia can develop if there are disorders of glucoregulatory organs resulting in imbalance of normal glucose homeostasis. Hypoglycemia presents with autonomic symptoms – hunger, palpitations, tremor, sweating – and with neuroglycopenic symptoms – confusion, drowsiness, odd behavior, speech difficulties, incoordination. None of these symptoms is specific just to hypoglycemia. Frequently hypoglycemia has to be differentiated with neurologic, psychiatric, and cardiovascular disorders. In this article the causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of hypoglycemia are reviewed.

Correspondence to J. Blauzdytė, Kaunas University of Medicine, A. Mickevičiaus 9, 44307 Kaunas, Lithuania. E-mail: blauzdyte@one.lt

Received 16 March 2006, accepted 23 May 2006