Hypoglycemia

Not to be confused with the opposite disorder, hyperglycemia.

Hypoglycemia is when the level of blood sugar is lower than normal. A normal blood sugar level is about 70 to 100 milligrams per deciliter.

Hypoglycemia
Other names	Hypoglycaemia, hypoglycæmia, low blood glucose, low blood sugar
Hypoglycemia (left) and normal blood sugar concentration (right)
Medical specialty	Endocrinology
Symptoms	Headache, blurred vision, shakiness, dizziness, weakness, tiredness, sweating, clamminess, fast heart rate, pounding heartbeat, nervousness or anxiety, hunger, nausea, pins and needles sensation, difficulty talking, confusion, unusual behavior, lightheadedness, pale skin color, seizures
Complications	Loss of consciousness, death
Usual onset	Rapid
Causes	Medications (insulin, glinides and sulfonylureas), sepsis, kidney failure, certain tumors, liver disease
Diagnostic method	Whipple's triad: Symptoms of hypoglycemia, serum blood glucose level <70 mg/dL (3.9 mmol/L), and resolution of symptoms when blood glucose returns to normal
Treatment	Eating foods high in simple sugars
Medication	Glucose, glucagon
Frequency	In type 1 diabetics, mild hypoglycemia occurs twice per week on average, and severe hypoglycemia occurs once per year.
Deaths	In type 1 diabetics, 6–10% will die of hypoglycemia.

All of the cells in the body need sugar to do their jobs and to survive. When a person does not have enough blood sugar, their body cannot work normally.

Hypoglycemia can cause many symptoms. Some common symptoms are:

• nausea
• feeling hungry
• sweating
• feeling sad
• feeling the heart pounding (heart palpitations)

Bad hypoglycemia can make a person act like they are drunk or have taken drugs. Very bad hypoglycemia can look like a stroke. Very bad (severe) hypoglycemia can cause serious medical problems (like seizures) or even death if it is not treated quickly enough.

Hypoglycemia can happen to anyone, at any age, but it usually happens in people who are diabetic. It is often a complication of treatment for diabetes with insulin or oral medications. The brain and other parts of the body cannot work without sugar.

Hypoglycemia is treated by raising the blood sugar levels back to normal. Often, a hypoglycemic person can bring their blood sugar levels back up by eating. In the worst cases, when the blood sugar is very low, hypoglycemia is treated by giving sugar water intravenously. In some cases, the liver is able to handle the issue by making glucose.