Hypoglycemia

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Food and insulin release

Hypoglycemia is a condition that occurs when your blood sugar (glucose) is too low.

Insulin shock; Low blood sugar

Hypoglycemia occurs when:

• Your body's sugar (glucose) is used up too quickly
• Glucose is released into the bloodstream too slowly
• Too much insulin is released into the bloodstream

Insulin is a hormone that reduces blood sugar. It is produced by the pancreas in response to increased glucose levels in the blood.

Hypoglycemia is relatively common in persons with diabetes. It occurs when:

• You take too much insulin or diabetes medicine
• You don't eat enough food
• You suddenly increase your exercise without increasing the amount of food you eat

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Relative hypoglycemia is a fairly common condition in which a newborn's blood sugar is low. Babies born to mothers with diabetes may have severe hypoglycemia.

Idiopathic hypoglycemia is hypoglycemia that occurs without a known cause. People with this type of hypoglycemia do not have diabetes.

Hypoglycemia may also be caused by:

• Ingestion of alcohol
• Insulin-secreting tumor of the pancreas
• Liver disease

Review Date: 05/20/2009
Reviewed By: Reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc. Also reviewed by Deborah Wexler, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Endocrinologist, Massachusetts General Hospital.