reactive hypoglycemia

Although it is often linked to diabetes, hypoglycemia can also affect people without diabetes, both adults and children. How can you recognize a hypoglycemic attack? What are the possible causes? How can it be treated?

The main characteristic of hypoglycemia is an abnormally low blood sugar concentration . However, one can only truly speak of hypoglycemia when the three criteria determined in the 1930s by Dr. Allen Whipple (Whipple's triad) are met. These three criteria are:

symptoms of hypoglycemia such as feeling unwell for example

too low a blood sugar level (blood sugar concentration), less than 0.7 grams per liter during the period of symptoms

relief of symptoms by simply consuming sugar or a sweet food.

A hypoglycemic attack can simply be due to a diet that is too low in sugar. However, when attacks are frequent, they are often linked to an organic dysfunction. This may be glucose intolerance, for example, which often precedes the onset of diabetes. Hypoglycemia can also be due to established diabetes (diabetic hypoglycemia), particularly type 1 diabetes , due to the administration of too high a dose of insulin (a pancreatic hormone used to regulate blood sugar). Other diseases of the pancreas such as pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas) or pancreatic cancer can also cause hypoglycemia. Certain medications for high blood pressure and some antidepressants are also possible causes of hypoglycemia. Finally, in rare cases, hypoglycemia can follow stomach surgery.

Symptoms of a hypoglycemic attack can appear suddenly or within minutes. The most common are:

In cases of severe hypoglycemia, the discomfort can sometimes progress to fainting or even coma (especially in diabetics) without rapid sugar intake.

In infants, cases of hypoglycemia are quite rare. Generally not serious, hypoglycemic attacks are often asymptomatic and can go completely unnoticed. However, when symptoms do occur, they usually include:

It is advisable to consult a doctor promptly. The most severe cases may require a glucose infusion to quickly correct hypoglycemia.

Also called reactive hypoglycemia, idiopathic functional hypoglycemia or postprandial hypoglycemia, reactive hypoglycemia is not true hypoglycemia. In fact, it does not meet Whipple's three criteria: only two of them are present. People with reactive hypoglycemia thus have all the symptoms of true hypoglycemia while their blood sugar is perfectly normal. Oddly enough, just like with true hypoglycemia, consuming sugar can stop the symptoms. Reactive hypoglycemia primarily affects women aged 20 to 40. Although not dangerous to health, its causes remain mysterious. Its treatment is mainly based on a healthy diet, regular physical activity and good stress management .

Diagnosing hypoglycemia involves a fairly thorough interview about your symptoms, medications you are taking, family history, and lifestyle. A blood test can also measure blood glucose levels. If the doctor suspects a disease, various additional tests may be requested, such as other blood tests or an MRI to rule out pancreatic cancer, for example.

Treating hypoglycemia requires addressing its cause when it has been determined (better insulin dosage in the case of diabetes, stopping medication, etc.). In other cases, it is possible to reduce attacks by practicing regular physical activity and dietary measures. In particular, you can divide your diet more (3 meals + 2 snacks), reduce your fat intake and favor complex sugars (starches, bananas, etc.) over fast sugars (white bread, sugar, etc.). Also limit your alcohol consumption so as not to weaken your pancreas. Learning to manage stress through cardiac coherence, for example, can also help prevent hypoglycemic attacks.