Hypoglycemia is a condition when sugar in your blood drops below the normal level. But in a natural way your body will keep producing sugar to avoid falling from the normal level if you haven’t eaten for a while. Sugar levels drop during fasting and the natural process of the body takes over usually to restore normalcy of the sugar level in the blood.


But this natural mechanism doesn’t always work perfectly as people have been diagnosed with mild hypoglycemia when hungry, while others with chronic problems and the shakes occur regularly whenever they are very hungry. They are the ones who need to manage their diet and resort to medications. Hypoglycemia episodes may be reactive, occurring just after a meal or fasting when it occurs after a prolonged period of fasting.



Hypos, or chronic bouts of hypoglycemia are sudden reactions common among diabetes patients when there is an imbalance between the insulin pills, the level of food and the level if activity or exercise. Common diagnoses for hypoglycemia are a blood glucose test and the body’s successful response to sugar.


For a normal patient a routine blood analysis is required, but incase of confusion a repeat analysis of the tests should be done. If patients are found with symptoms of hypoglycemia, a 5 hour glucose tolerance test or in some cases, a 72 hour fast during whith repeated blood sugar tests should be taken after hospitalization.


If the results come negative, the patients are more likely to have functional hypoglycemia. Depending on the patient’s condition, further tests like plasma, cortizol, plasma growth hormone assay and plasma proinsulin could be carried out. Along with these tests, CT scan of the abdomen, C-peptide and a tolbutamide tolerance test could also be done. Endocrinology result can also be obtained as part of the diagnostic test.


Results of these tests may vary from patients, if they are on oral hypoglycemia drugs, insulin, or taking high doses. If there is a history of obesity or sudden loss of consciousness, insulinoma could most likely be the cause. If the plasma cortizol is low, chances are they may have Addison’s disease for which test have to be done.


Low plasma growth hormone suggests Simmond’s disease. Abnormal d-xylose test results could point to diseases from cirrhosis to hypothyroidism.

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