Hypoglycemia During Therapy of Diabetes

Review
In: Endotext [Internet]. South Dartmouth (MA): MDText.com, Inc.; 2000.
.

Excerpt

Hypoglycemia, caused by treatment with a sulfonylurea, a glinide, or insulin coupled with compromised defenses against the resulting falling plasma glucose concentrations, is the limiting factor in the glycemic management of diabetes. It causes recurrent morbidity in most people with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and many with advanced type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and is sometimes fatal; it limits maintenance of physiologic normoglycemia over a lifetime of diabetes; and it impairs physiological and behavioral defenses against subsequent hypoglycemia. In addition to drug selection and application of diabetes treatment technologies, minimizing hypoglycemia in diabetes includes acknowledging the problem, considering each of the risk factors, and applying the principles of intensive glycemic therapy. For most people with diabetes who are at risk for, or suffering from, iatrogenic hypoglycemia these principles include selecting appropriate individualized glycemic goals and providing structured patient education that will often reduce the incidence of hypoglycemia. That is typically coupled with short-term scrupulous avoidance of hypoglycemia that will often reverse impaired awareness of hypoglycemia. For complete coverage of all related areas of Endocrinology, please visit our on-line FREE web-text, WWW.ENDOTEXT.ORG.

Publication types

  • Review