Hypoglycemia

Summary

Hypoglycemia means low blood glucose, or blood sugar. Your body needs glucose 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

In people with diabetes, hypoglycemia is often 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. Causes include certain medicines or diseases, hormone or enzyme deficiencies, and tumors. Laboratory tests can help find the cause. The kind of treatment depends on why you have low blood sugar.

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Find an Expert

• American Diabetes Association American Diabetes Association
• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Diagnosis and Tests

• Blood Glucose Test National Library of Medicine
• C-Peptide Test National Library of Medicine
• Glucagon Blood Test National Library of Medicine
• Insulin in Blood National Library of Medicine

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Hypoglycemia National Institutes of Health

Genetics

• Congenital hyperinsulinism: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
• Familial glucocorticoid deficiency: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine

Specifics

• Diabetic Hypoglycemia Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
• Is Hyperinsulinemia a Form of Diabetes? Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
• Reactive Hypoglycemia Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research

Patient Handouts

• Drug-induced hypoglycemia Medical Encyclopedia
• Insulin C-peptide test Medical Encyclopedia
• Low blood sugar Medical Encyclopedia
• Low blood sugar – newborns Medical Encyclopedia
• Low blood sugar – self-care Medical Encyclopedia

Start Here

• Hypoglycemia Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
• Low Blood Glucose (Hypoglycemia) National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Children

• Hypoglycemia and Diabetes Nemours Foundation
• When Blood Sugar Is Too Low Nemours Foundation

Journal Articles

• Hypoglycemia

Teenagers

• What Is Hypoglycemia? Nemours Foundation