Also called: Also called: Low blood sugar
Did you know you have sugar in your blood? Your body needs glucose, a form of sugar, to have enough energy. After you eat, your blood absorbs glucose. If you eat more sugar than your body needs, your muscles and liver store the extra. When your blood sugar begins to fall, a hormone tells your liver to release glucose. In most people, this raises blood sugar. If it doesn't, you have hypoglycemia, and your blood sugar can be dangerously low. Signs include
- Hunger
- Shakiness
- Dizziness
- Confusion
- Difficulty speaking
- Feeling anxious or weak
Hypoglycemia is usually a side effect of diabetes medicines. Eating or drinking something with carbohydrates can help. If it happens often, your health care provider may need to change your treatment plan.
You can also have low blood sugar without having diabetes. In that case, your health care provider will try to find the cause using laboratory tests to measure blood glucose, insulin and other chemicals that play a part in the body's use of energy.
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Hypoglycemia
(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/hypoglycemia/index.htm
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Hypoglycemia
(Patient Education Institute) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/hypoglycemia/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/hypoglycemiaspanish/htm/index.htm
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Hypoglycemia(American Diabetes Association) - http://www.diabetes.org/type-1-diabetes/hypoglycemia.jsp
Also available in Spanish http://www.diabetes.org/espanol/diabetes-tipo-2/hipoglucemia.jsp
- Hypoglycemia(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/hypoglycemia/DS00198/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
- Severe Low Blood Sugar Ups Older Diabetics' Dementia Risk(04/14/2009, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_82890.html
- Tight Blood Sugar Control May Raise Risks in the ICU(03/24/2009, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_82073.html
- Glucose Tests(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/glucose/test.html
- Hyperinsulinemia: Is It Diabetes?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/hyperinsulinemia/HQ00896/METHOD=print
- Is Low Blood Glucose (Hypoglycemia) Dangerous?(Joslin Diabetes Center) - http://www.joslin.org/Beginners_guide_654.asp
- What Can I Do to Prevent Serious Hypoglycemic Episodes When I Am Hypoglycemic Unaware?(Joslin Diabetes Center) - http://www.joslin.org/beginners_guide_656.asp
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Hypoglycemia(Patient Education Institute) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/hypoglycemia/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/hypoglycemiaspanish/htm/index.htm
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Hypoglycemia(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Hypoglycemia%22
- Article: Hypoglycemic episodes and risk of dementia in older patients with... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19366776&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Relationship between spontaneous and iatrogenic hypoglycemia and mortality in patients... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19366775&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Intensive insulin therapy and mortality among critically ill patients: a... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19318387&tool=MedlinePlus
- Hypoglycemia -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=hypoglycemia[majr]+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text]+OR+review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- American Diabetes Association - http://www.diabetes.org/
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National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases - http://www.niddk.nih.gov/
- Hypoglycemia(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/managing_diabetes/living/hypoglycemia.html
- Ketotic Hypoglycemia in Infants(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/ketotic-hypoglycemia/AN00302/METHOD=print
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When Blood Sugar Is Too Low(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/kid/managing_diabetes/living/low_blood_sugar.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/kid/en_espanol/enfermadades/low_blood_sugar_esp.html
- What Is Hypoglycemia?(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/teen/question/illness_infection/hypoglycemia.html
- Diabetes - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/diabetes.html
- Metabolic Problems - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/metabolicproblems.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Hypoglycemia is the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases - http://www.niddk.nih.gov/
Hypoglycemia - Multiple Languages - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/languages/hypoglycemia.html