Howstuffworks "Hypoglycemia"

Armstrong, Dr. Dana, and Dr. Allen Bennett King. "Hypoglycemia." 16 March 2007. HowStuffWorks.com. <http://health.howstuffworks.com/hypoglycemia.htm> 17 May 2008.

Hypoglycemia

by Dr. Dana Armstrong and Dr. Allen Bennett King

Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar,
can cause many symptoms,
including fatigue.

Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, can be a dangerous condition. Although diabetes management focuses on lowering high blood glucose, it's important to know about hypoglycemia and be able to recognize the warning signs. Especially for people who have had diabetes for a long time or who take medication or insulin, being able to treat hypoglycemia is a basic skill to have in the diabetes tool kit.

Hypoglycemia is sometimes referred to as an "insulin reaction," "a low," "insulin shock," or just plain "shock." No matter the term used, hypoglycemia is one of the most common, and most dangerous, side effects of any medication for lowering blood glucose. For the person with diabetes, the goal of treatment is to lower blood glucose levels to as close to normal as possible. If the treatment plan to obtain this goal includes insulin and/or one of the insulin-stimulating medications (a sulfonylurea or glitinide), then hypoglycemia is definitely a risk.

If your blood glucose falls below 70 to 99 mg/dl (measured on a plasma-calibrated meter), you have hypoglycemia. This can occur if you take too much insulin or too large a dose of medication, miss or delay a meal, eat too little food for the amount of insulin or pills taken, increase your normal level of activity, drink alcohol, or any combination of these factors.

Because glucose is the main source of energy for the brain and nervous system, symptoms of hypoglycemia frequently show up in these places. Dizziness, hunger, nausea, shakiness, fatigue and weakness are common early symptoms of hypoglycemia, but there are many more indicators. If hypoglycemia isn't treated, it can result in death.

Before you experience a severe incidence of hypoglycemia, learn the basics about it, including:

Hypoglycemia Symptoms
The symptoms of hypoglycemia are numerous, and some symptoms are more serious than others and indicate a more extreme case of hypoglycemia. Learn more about the different symptoms of hypoglycemia.

Causes of Hypoglycemia
In order to treat hypoglycemia, it's important to know why it happens and how it affects the body. Learn more about the causes of hypoglycemia.

Preventing Hypoglycemia
The best way to treat hypoglycemia is to prevent it before it happens. The good news is that it's not too difficult to do if you have good control of your diabetes. Learn more about how to prevent uncomfortable, possibly dangerous, episodes of hypoglycemia.

Hypoglycemia Treatment
Treating hypoglycemia is extremely important to prevent more serious complications. Learn about the different methods to treat hypoglycemia quickly and efficiently.

For more information on diabetes in general, try the following links:

To learn more about diabetes in general, including diagnosis, causes, symptoms, and treatment, visit our main Diabetes page.
Our main Type 1 Diabetes page will tell you more about this form of diabetes, commonly called, "juvenile diabetes."
To find out more about type 2 diabetes, which has reached the level of national health epidemic, go to our main Type 2 Diabetes page.

Suggestions for a Diabetic DietOne of the most important aspects of treating and controlling diabetes is monitoring the food you take into your body. However, there may be more wiggle room than you think. To learn more about proper nutrition and diabetes, try the following links:

Our main Diabetic Diet page will show you which food groups are diabetes-friendly and which ones you should avoid.
Visit our Diabetic Recipes page to find simple, delicious meals you can make that won't send our blood sugar into a tailspin.

This information is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Neither the Editors of Consumer Guide (R), Publications International, Ltd., the author nor publisher take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this information. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.

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Armstrong, Dr. Dana, and Dr. Allen Bennett King. "Hypoglycemia." 16 March 2007. HowStuffWorks.com. <http://health.howstuffworks.com/hypoglycemia.htm> 17 May 2008.

SYMPTOM CHECKER:

Abdominal Bloating Abdominal Fullness Prematurely Afte... Abdominal Lumps Abdominal Mass Abdominal Pain Abdominal Rigidity Abdominal Sounds Abdominal Swelling Abnormal Posturing Abnormal Tooth Shape Abnormally Dark Or Light Skin Absent Menstruation Absent Thirst Agitation Ambiguous Genitalia Ankle Pain Appetite Decrease Appetite Increase Apraxia Arachnodactyly Armpit Lump Autistic Behavior Babinski's Reflex Bed Wetting Belching Binge Eating Blackheads Bleeding Gums Bleeding Into The Skin Blindness Blockage Of Leg Arteries Blood In The Semen Blood in Urine Bloody Or Tarry Stools Bone Pain Or Tenderness Bounding Pulse Bowel Incontinence Breast Lump Breast Pain Breath Odor Breath Sounds Breathing - Slowed Or Stopped Breathing Difficulty Breathing Difficulty When Lying Dow... Breathing That Sounds Abnormal Broad Nasal Bridge Bulging Fontanelles Bullae Chemosis Chest Pain Chills Clammy Skin Claw Foot Claw Hand Cloudy Cornea Clubbing Of The Fingers Or Toes Cold Intolerance Coloboma Of The Iris Comedones Confusion Constipation Contracture Deformity Coughing Coughing Up Blood Crying Excessively in Infants Cyst Decerebrate Posture Decorticate Posture Decreased Consciousness Decreased Urine Output Delayed Growth Delayed or Absent Tooth Formation Depression Diarrhea Difficulty with Urination Dizziness Drooling Drowsiness Dry Eyes Dry Hair Dry Skin Ear Discharge Earache Earlobe Creases Elbow Pain Epicanthal Folds Erection Problems Erosion Excessive Or Unwanted Hair In Women Excessive Thirst Excessive Urination Excessive Urination at Night Excessively Large Fontanelles Eye Burning, Itching and Discharge Eye Pain Eye Redness Eye Slant Eyelid Drooping Eyes That Bulge Face Pain Facial Paralysis Facial Swelling Fainting Fatigue Female Sexual Dysfunction Fever Finger Pain Fingers That Change Color Flank Pain Floating Stools Focal Neurological Deficits Foot Pain Foot, Leg, And Ankle Swelling Foul Smelling Stools Frequent Or Urgent Urination Frontal Bossing Gas (Flatulence) Gastrointestinal Bleeding Genital Sores (Female) Genital Sores (Male) Groin Lumps Groin Pain Gynecomastia Hair Loss Hallucinations Hand Or Foot Spasms Hand Tremors Headache Hearing Loss Heart Murmurs And Other Sounds Heart Palpitations Heartburn Heat Intolerance Heavy, Prolonged, or Irregular Mens... Heel Pain Hemolytic Crisis Hepatomegaly Heterochromia Hiccups Hip Pain Hoarseness Or Changing Voice Hump Behind The Shoulders Hyperactivity Hyperelastic Skin Hypermobile Joints Hyperventilation Hypotonia Impaired Smell Increased Head Circumference Indigestion Infantile Reflexes Intercostal Retractions Intertrigo Irritability Itching Jaundice (Yellow Skin) Joint Pain Joint Swelling Knee Pain Leg Pain Lichenified Limited Range Of Motion Lordosis Low Nasal Bridge Lower Back Pain Macule Malaise Memory Loss Metopic Ridge Microcephaly Micrognathia Morbid Obesity Morning Sickness Moro Reflex Motormental Retardation Mouth Sores Muscle Aches Muscle Atrophy Muscle Cramps Muscle Function Loss Muscle Twitching Nail Abnormalities Nasal Congestion Nasal Discharge Nasal Flaring Natal Teeth Nausea And Vomiting Neck Lumps Neck Pain Night Blindness Nightmares Nikolsky’s Sign Nipple Discharge Nodules Nosebleed Numbness And Tingling Obesity Opisthotonos Pain During Sexual Intercourse Painful Menstrual Periods Painful Urination Pale or Clay-Colored Stools Paleness Papule Patches Patchy Skin Color Pectus Carinatum Pectus Excavatum Penis Pain Photophobia Pilonidal Dimple Pinna Abnormalities And Low-set Ear... Point Tenderness Polydactyly Polyhydramnios Poor Feeding In Infants Preauricular Tag Or Pit Premenstrual Breast Tenderness and ... Prognathism Pupils That Are Different Sizes Purpura Pustules Rapid Shallow Breathing Rash in a Child Under 2 Years Rashes Rib Cage Pain Ridged Sutures Scales Scrotal Swelling Seizures Sensorineural Deafness Separated Sutures Shin Splints Short Philtrum Short Stature Shoulder Pain Simian Crease Skeletal Limb Abnormalities Skin Blushing/flushing Skin Discoloration Skin Lumps Skin Turgor Sleeping Difficulty Sneezing Snoring Sore Throat Spasticity Speech Impairment (adult) Splenomegaly Splinter Hemorrhages Strange Behavior Stress And Anxiety Striae Subcutaneous Emphysema Sunburn Sunken Fontanelles Supernumerary Nipples Swallowing Difficulty Swallowing Pain Or Burning Sweating Sweating Decrease Swelling Swollen Glands Swollen Gums Taste Impairment Telangiectasia Tenesmus Testicle Lump Testicle Pain Tinnitus Tongue Problems Tooth Discoloration Toothaches Ulcers Uncontrollable Eye Movements Uncontrollable Movement Uncontrolled Or Slow Movement Uncoordinated Movement Unpredictable Or Jerky Movement Urinary Incontinence Urine Discoloration Vaginal Bleeding Between Periods Vaginal Bleeding In Pregnancy Vaginal Discharge Vaginal Itching Vesicles Vision Problems Vomiting Blood Walking Abnormalities Watery Eyes Weak or Absent Pulse Weakness Webbing Of The Fingers Or Toes Weight Gain Weight Loss Wheezing White Spots in the Pupil Whitehead Widely Spaced Teeth Wrinkles Wrist Pain Yawning

DISEASES AND CONDITIONS GLOSSARY:

Aarskog Syndrome Aase Syndrome Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm ABO Incompatibility Abortion - Complete Abortion - Elective Or Therapeutic Abortion - Incomplete Abortion - Infected Abortion - Threatened Abscess Acanthosis Nigricans Achalasia Achilles Tendinitis Achondrogenesis Achondroplasia Acidosis Acne Acoustic Neuroma Acoustic Trauma Acquired Platelet Function Defect Acrodermatitis Acrodysostosis Acromegaly Actinic Keratosis Actinomycosis Acute Adrenal Crisis Acute Arterial Occlusion - Kidney Acute Bilateral Obstructive Uropath... Acute Bronchitis Acute Cerebellar Ataxia Acute Cholecystitis (Gallstones) Acute Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Infecti... Acute Gouty Arthritis Acute HIV Infection Acute Interstitial Nephritis Not NS... Acute Kidney Failure Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL) Acute Mountain Sickness Acute Myeloid Leukemia Acute Nephritic Syndrome Acute Pancreatitis Acute Tubular Necrosis Acute Unilateral Obstructive Uropat... Acute Upper Airway Obstruction Addison’s Disease Adenomyosis Adhesion Adjustment Disorder Adolescent Depression Adolescent Pregnancy Adrenocortical Carcinoma Adrenoleukodystrophy Adult Still's Disease Agammaglobulinemia Age-related Hearing Loss Agoraphobia Agranulocytosis Aicardi Syndrome AIDS Albinism Alcohol Withdrawal Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy Alcoholic Ketoacidosis Alcoholic Liver Disease Alcoholic Neuropathy Alcoholism Alkalosis Alkaptonuria Allergic Conjunctivitis Allergic Rhinitis Allergic Vasculitis Allergies Allergy To Mold - Dander - Dust Alopecia Areata Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency Alport Syndrome Alström Syndrome Alveolar Abnormalities Alzheimer’s Disease Amaurosis Fugax Amblyopia Amebiasis Amebic Liver Abscess Amelogenesis Imperfecta Amenorrhea Amniotic Constriction Bands Amphetamine Or Sympathomimetic Into... Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Anal Fissure Analgesic Nephropathy Anaphylaxis Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome Anemia Anemia - B12 Deficiency Anemia Of Chronic Disease Anencephaly Aneurysm Aneurysm In The Brain Angina Angiodysplasia Of The Colon Angioedema Ankylosing Spondylitis Annular Pancreas Anorchia Anorectal Abscess Anorexia Nervosa Anthrax Antisocial Personality Disorder Aortic Arch Syndrome Aortic Dissection Aortic Insufficiency Aortic Stenosis Apert Syndrome Apnea Of Prematurity Apoplexy Appendicitis ARDS (acute Respiratory Distress Sy... Arrhenoblastoma of the Ovary Arrhythmias Arterial Embolism Arterial Insufficiency Arteriosclerosis Of The Extremities Arteriovenous Malformation - Cerebr... Arthritis Asbestos-related Pleural Effusion Asbestosis Ascariasis Ascites Aseptic Meningitis Aseptic Necrosis Asherman Syndrome Asperger Syndrome Aspergillosis Aspiration Pneumonia Asthma Astigmatism Asymptomatic Bacteriuria Asymptomatic HIV Infection Ataxia-telangiectasia Atelectasis Atheroembolic Renal Disease Atherosclerosis Athlete's Foot Atrial Fibrillation/flutter Atrial Myxoma Atrial Septal Defect Atrophic Vaginitis Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Dis... Atypical Mycobacterial Infection Atypical Pneumonia Aural Polyps Autism Autoerythrocyte Sensitivity Autoimmune Disorders Autoimmune Hepatitis Autonomic Hyperreflexia Autonomic Neuropathy Avian Influenza Avoidant Personality Disorder Axillary Nerve Dysfunction Bacterial Gastroenteritis Baker’s Cyst Balanitis Barbiturate Intoxication And Overdo... Barrett’s Esophagus Bartholin’s Abscess Bartter Syndrome Basal Cell Carcinoma Basal Cell Nevus Syndrome Basal Ganglia Dysfunction Bassen-Kornzweig Syndrome Bathing Trunk Nevus Becker's Muscular Dystrophy Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome Bedwetting Bell's Palsy Benign Ear Cyst Or Tumor Benign Positional Vertigo Beriberi Bezoar Bilateral Hydronephrosis Bile Duct Obstruction Biliary Atresia Biliary Stricture Bipolar Disorder Birth-acquired Herpes Birthmarks - Pigmented Birthmarks - Red Bladder Cancer Bladder Outlet Obstruction Bladder Stones Blastomycosis Blastomycosis Skin Lesion Bleeding Disorders Bleeding Esophageal Varices Blepharitis Blind Loop Syndrome Blocked Tear Duct Blood Clots Blount's Disease Body Lice Bone Tumors Borderline Personality Disorder Botulism Bowlegs Brachial Palsy In Newborns Brachial Plexopathy Brain Abscess Brain Herniation Brain Tumor - Adults Brain Tumor - Children Branchial Cleft Cyst Breast Cancer Breast Infection Breast Milk Jaundice Breath Holding Spell Brief Reactive Psychosis Bronchial Adenoma Bronchiectasis Bronchiolitis Bronchitis Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia Brucellosis Bruxism Bulimia Bullous Pemphigoid Bunions Burkitt Lymphoma Bursitis Byssinosis Campylobacter Enteritis Canavan Disease Cancer Cancer - Penis Cancer - Renal Pelvis Or Ureter Cancer - Throat Or Larynx Cancer - Vulva Candida Esophagitis Canker Sores Caplan Syndrome Caput Succedaneum Carbunculosis Carcinoid Syndrome Cardiac Amyloidosis Cardiac Tamponade Cardiogenic Shock Cardiomyopathy Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Cat Scratch Disease Cataract Catheter-associated UTI Cavernous Sinus Thrombosis Celiac Disease - Sprue Cellulitis Central Pontine Myelinolysis Central Serous Choroidopathy Central Sleep Apnea Cerebral Hypoxia Cerebral Palsy Cervical Cancer Cervical Dysplasia Cervical Polyps Cervical Spondylosis Cervicitis Chagas Disease Chalazion Chancroid Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease (heredi... Charley Horse Chediak-Higashi Syndrome Chemical Pneumonitis Cherry Angioma Chickenpox Chiggers Child Abuse - Physical Child Abuse - Sexual Child Neglect And Psychological Abu... Childhood Disintegrative Disorder Chinese Restaurant Syndrome Chlamydia Chlamydia Infections In Women Chlamydial Urethritis - Male Choanal Atresia Cholangiocarcinoma Cholangitis Choledocholithiasis Cholera Cholestasis Cholesteatoma Chondromalacia Patella Choroidal Dystrophies Chronic Bilateral Obstructive Uropa... Chronic Bronchitis Chronic Cholecystitis Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Chronic Glomerulonephritis Chronic Gouty Arthritis Chronic Granulomatous Disease Chronic Inflammatory Polyneuropathy Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) Chronic Motor Tic Disorder Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML) Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disea... Chronic Pancreatitis Chronic Persistent Hepatitis Chronic Renal Failure Chronic Subdural Hematoma Chronic Thyroiditis (Hashimoto̵... Chronic Unilateral Obstructive Urop... Chylomicronemia Syndrome Cirrhosis Cleft Lip And Palate Cleidocranial Dysostosis Clubfoot Cluster Headaches CMV - Gastroenteritis/colitis CMV - Immunocompromised Host CMV - Pneumonia CMV Esophagitis CMV Retinitis Coal Worker's Pneumoconiosis Coarctation Of The Aorta Cocaine Intoxication Cocaine Withdrawal Coccidioidomycosis Coccidioidomycosis - Acute Pulmonar... Coccidioidomycosis - Chronic Pulmon... Coccidioidomycosis - Disseminated Colic And Crying Colitis Collagen Vascular Disease Colloid Nodular Goiter Colon Cancer Color Blindness Colorado Tick Fever Colorectal Polyps Common Cold Common Peroneal Nerve Dysfunction Compartment Syndrome Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Compression Fractures Of The Back Concussion Conduct Disorder