Hypoglycemia

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Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors

Hypoglycemia results when your body's glucose is used up too rapidly, when glucose is released into the bloodstream more slowly than is needed by your body, or when excessive insulin is released into the bloodstream. Insulin is a hormone that reduces blood glucose. It is produced by the pancreas in response to increased glucose levels in the blood.

Hypoglycemia is relatively common in diabetics. It occurs when too much insulin or oral antidiabetic medication is taken, not enough food is eaten, or from a sudden increase in the amount of exercise without an increase in food intake.

Relative hypoglycemia, where a newborn's blood glucose is low, is fairly common. Severe hypoglycemia may occur in an infant born to a woman with diabetes or gestational diabetes. In these cases, the child is referred to as an IDM for "infant of diabetic mother."

If, during the pregnancy, the mother's blood sugar is persistently high, the fetus' pancreas assists in controlling the excess blood sugar by producing extra insulin. When the infant is born, it no longer gets the mother's glucose, but still produces increased insulin, and the increased insulin drives the infant's blood sugar down to dangerous levels. This is a medical emergency that may result in seizures and damage to the baby's nervous system if not treated.

Sometimes the cause of hypoglycemia is unknown (idiopathic). In these cases, people who are not diabetic and who do not have another known causes of hypoglycemia experience these symptoms.

Hypoglycemia can occur because of an insulin-secreting tumor of the pancreas, liver disease, or as a response to the ingestion of alcohol. It can occur in adults, infants, and children, and affects approximately 1 out of every 1,000 people.