Free

E-newsletter

Subscribe to Housecall

Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics.

Sign up now

Definition

By Mayo Clinic staff

Hypoglycemia is a condition characterized by an abnormally low level of blood sugar (glucose), your body's main energy source.

Hypoglycemia is commonly associated with the treatment of diabetes. However, a variety of conditions, many of them rare, can cause low blood sugar in people without diabetes. Like fever, hypoglycemia isn't a disease itself — it's an indicator of a health problem.

Immediate treatment of hypoglycemia involves quick steps to get your blood sugar level back into a normal range — about 70 to 100 milligrams per deciliter or mg/dL (3.9 to 5.6 millimoles per liter or mmol/L) — either with high-sugar foods or medications. Long-term treatment requires identifying and treating the underlying cause of hypoglycemia.

Symptoms
References
  1. Patient guide on the diagnosis and management of hypoglycemic disorders (low blood sugar) in adults. The Hormone Foundation. http://www.hormone.org/Resources/upload/patient-guide-diagnosis-and-management-hypoglycemia-022509.pdf. Accessed Nov. 12, 2011.
  2. Aminoff MJ, et al. Disorders of cognitive function. Clinical Neurology. 7th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2011. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=5143601.
    Accessed Nov. 16, 2011.
  3. Hypoglycemia. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/hypoglycemia/index.htm. Accessed Nov. 13, 2011.
  4. Hypoglycemia (low blood glucose). American Diabetes Association. http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/treatment-and-care/blood-glucose-control/hypoglycemia-low-blood.html. Accessed Nov. 13, 2011.
  5. Cryer PE, et al. Hypoglycemia. In: Longo DL, et al. Harrison's Online. 18th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2012. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=9141631. Accessed Nov. 16, 2011.
  6. Josefson J, et al. Hypoglycemia in the emergency department. Clinical Pediatric Emergency Medicine. 2009;10:285.
  7. Cryer PE. Hypoglycemia in type 1 diabetes mellitus. Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinics of North America. 2010;39:641.
  8. Masharani U, et al. Pancreatic hormones and diabetes mellitus. In: Gardner DG, et al. Greenspan's Basic & Clinical Endocrinology. 9th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2011. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=8407307. Accessed Nov. 16, 2011.
  9. Goyal N, et al. Type 1 diabetes mellitus. In: Tintinalli JE, et al. Tintinalli's Emergency Medicine: A Comprehensive Study Guide. 7th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2011. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=6379758. Accessed Nov. 16, 2011.
  10. Vella A, et al. Hypoglycemia and pancreatic islet cell disorders. In: Goldman L, et al. Goldman's Cecil Medicine. 24th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2011. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/page.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4377-1604-7..00238-4&isbn=978-1-4377-1604-7&uniqId=303466088-3#4-u1.0-B978-1-4377-1604-7..00238-4--s0010. Accessed Nov. 21, 2011.
  11. Service FJ (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Nov. 18, 2011.
DS00198 Feb. 22, 2012

© 1998-2013 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). All rights reserved. A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. "Mayo," "Mayo Clinic," "MayoClinic.com," "EmbodyHealth," "Enhance your life," and the triple-shield Mayo Clinic logo are trademarks of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

  • Reprints
  • Print

  • Share on:

  • Email

Advertisement


Text Size: smaller largerlarger