Thursday, May 23, 2013

Hypoglycemia

Table of Contents

Alternative Names

Insulin shock; Low blood sugar


Symptoms

Symptoms you may have when your blood sugar gets too low include:

  • Cold sweats
  • Convulsions
  • Double vision or blurry vision
  • Fast or pounding heartbeat
  • General discomfort, uneasiness, or ill feeling (malaise)
  • Headache
  • Hunger
  • Irritability (possible aggression)
  • Nervousness
  • Shaking or trembling
  • Sleeping difficulty
  • Tingling or numbness of the skin
  • Tiredness or weakness
  • Unclear thinking

Sometimes your blood sugar may be too low, even if you do not have symptoms. If your blood sugar gets too low, you may:

  • Faint
  • Have a seizure
  • Go into a coma

Other symptoms that may occur with this disease:

  • Decreased alertness
  • Different size pupils
  • Dizziness
  • Hallucinations
  • Memory loss
  • Muscle pain
  • Paleness

Signs and tests

Home monitoring of blood sugar will show readings lower than 70 mg/dL.

Serum glucose test will be low.


Review Date: 05/10/2010
Reviewed By: Ari S. Eckman, MD, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)