HYPOGLYCEMIA
DIAGNOSIS |
|
|
Drug-induced hypoglycemia
Once diabetes is diagnosed, the patient then monitors his or her
blood sugar level with a portable machine called a glucometer. The
diabetic places a small blood sample on a test strip that the
machine can read. If the test reveals that the blood sugar level is
too low, the diabetic can make a correction by eating or drinking an
additional carbohydrate.
Reactive hypoglycemia
Reactive hypoglycemia can only be diagnosed by a doctor. Symptoms
usually improve after the patient has gone on an appropriate diet.
Reactive hypoglycemia was diagnosed more frequently 10–20 years ago
than today. Studies have shown that most people suffering from its
symptoms test normal for blood sugar, leading many doctors to
suggest that actual cases of reactive hypoglycemia are quite rare.
Some doctors think that people with hypoglycemic symptoms may be
particularly sensitive to the body's normal postmeal release of the
hormone epinephrine, or are actually suffering from some other
physical or mental problem. Others doctors believe reactive
hypoglycemia is actually the early onset of diabetes that occurs
after a number of years. There continues to be disagreement about
the cause of reactive hypoglycemia.
A common test to diagnose hypoglycemia is the extended oral glucose
tolerance test. Following an overnight fast, a concentrated solution
of glucose is drunk and blood samples are taken hourly for five to
six hours. Though this test remains helpful in early identification
of diabetes, its use in diagnosing chronic reactive hypoglycemia has
lost favor because it can trigger hypoglycemic symptoms in people
with otherwise normal glucose readings. Some doctors now recommend
that blood sugar be tested at the actual time a person experiences
hypoglycemic symptoms. |
|
|
|
|
| HYPOGLYCEMIA RELATED ITEMS |
|
|
|
|